China is hosting this week the leaders of both Palestine and Israel, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was welcomed in Beijing on Monday followed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit later in the week.
Although China used to keep a low profile in Middle East diplomacy, it has maintained good relationships with both Israel and Palestine.
The relationship with Palestine has traditionally been a profound one. By inviting two leaders to visit China, Beijing has indicated that the new Chinese leadership is devoting a lot of attention to Middle East issues and the development of the relations between China, Israel and the Palestinians.
China was one of the first countries supporting the Palestinian national liberation movement and to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization as a legitimate government.
It also supports the founding of a state of Palestine with complete sovereignty and independence. Currently, it backs the Abbas-led mainstream faction and advocates peace talks to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Economically, China has also offered financial assistance to Palestine, and will carry out the existing projects, encourage more Chinese businesses with strong capabilities to invest in Palestine, help Palestine with infrastructure, train more staff and strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping's talks with Abbas on Monday, Xi raised four proposals on the settlement of the Palestine issue, calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and peaceful coexistence with Israel.
Some believe China is asserting its own geopolitical interests in Palestine, but I don't think that way.
The Palestine issue has been around for over six decades. And China started to maintain a friendship with Palestine in the 1960s.
Since then the international community, the Middle East and China itself have all undergone colossal and profound changes, but China's support for Palestine has always been firm. Such support is based on a political just cause rather than geopolitical interests.
Neither does China want to use Palestine as leverage to balance Israel and then further balance the US influence in the Middle East.
Both China and Israel treat each other as real friends. Netanyahu's visit to China this time is his first visit abroad in his third term as prime minister. Within Israel, cabinet members are talking about expanding communication with China. This is in line with what China wants.
Foreign media outlets highlighted Abbas and Netanyahu's visits, and especially China's role in mediating the conflict between the two.
While some believe China can be a Middle East peace broker, others think it's great news that China can help Washington mediate Israel-Palestine talks.
China has its own principles to stick to in terms of the Israel-Palestine conflict. It also respects the consensus reached by the international community in dealing with the conflict.
If its mediation can promote the peace process of the two countries and help the world stay in peace, China will be more than willing to do so.
Meanwhile, Beijing's efforts may boost the Sino-US relationship. The US would like to see the two Middle Eastern countries end up in peaceful talks. Hopefully the US won't think China is taking up more of the limelight on the world stage than itself.
China is not capable of taking everything on itself, nor does it want to.
Beijing's hosting of Abbas and Netanyahu at the same time offers the chance for the two to talk, but only under the condition that both want to do so, although the current negotiation deadlock shows no sign that the two will meet.
The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Wang Wenwen based on an interview with Li Guofu, senior research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn