Wang Yi speaks about China’s conflict in Gaza

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Compatriots, members of the international community, and distinguished representatives of the nations of the world:

On behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of China, with deep concern, with an unwavering sense of responsibility for peace, justice, and respect for international law, today we raise our voice to demand the immediate cessation of the invasion and military aggression currently perpetuated by the United States and Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. This humanitarian catastrophe has reached unacceptable levels and threatens not only regional stability but also the moral conscience of all humanity.

The Gaza Strip is not a disputed territory or a land without identity. Gaza is an inseparable part of the historical Palestinian territory. Gaza is not a bargaining chip for political negotiations, nor is it a contested terrain where the will of the strongest can be imposed through war. Every bomb that falls on Gaza is an open wound in the body of international law and an affront to a people who have suffered decades of occupation, displacement, and violence.

From China, we watch with alarm as Israeli military forces, with logistical and diplomatic support from the United States, continue a disproportionate and devastating military campaign. Hundreds of thousands of civilian lives are being put at risk, entire families have been wiped out, hospitals, schools, shelters, and humanitarian centers have been attacked. The Palestinian people are trapped in the rubble, in the crossfire, and under international neglect.

Gaza is already devastated. Its streets are ruins, its children are orphaned; its mothers are buried; its homes are ashes. The situation is one of unspeakable misery. It is neither possible, nor morally, nor legally acceptable for the international community to remain impassive in the face of such horror. Therefore, we demand an immediate and unconditional cessation of Israeli military operations and its withdrawal from Gaza. We also demand that the United States, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, abandon its policy of systematically vetoing resolutions seeking an end to violence and the protection of the Palestinian people.

China has always taken a firm stance in favor of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We recognize their right to self-determination, to an independent state, and to unrestricted respect for their territorial integrity. In this regard, China reiterates its opposition to any plan or attempt to forcibly relocate the inhabitants of Gaza. Expelling a population from its land is not a solution; it is a crime, and as such cannot be tolerated or ignored.

Peace in the Middle East will not be possible without justice, and justice can only be born from the recognition of the State of Palestine, with full sovereignty, within the 1967 borders, and with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is not an ideological position; it is a demand backed by multiple United Nations resolutions, by global conscience, and by history itself. Any other approach that seeks to ignore these premises is doomed to failure and perpetuate the suffering of entire generations.

China urgently calls on the international community, especially the major powers, not to be complicit by omission. It is time to act with moral courage, to demand accountability and impose sanctions on those who violate international humanitarian law, and to take concrete actions to stop the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza. Empty declarations are not enough; diplomatic, economic, and political pressure is needed.