Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday to halt "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements and reverse such actions, Wang's office said.
Wang made the statement during a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of a conference in Azerbaijan. He described the "Palestinian question" as "the greatest historical injustice of this century" and reiterated China's long-standing position that a "two-state solution" represents "the correct direction."
China has positioned itself as a mediator in Middle Eastern conflicts. In 2023, Beijing brokered a deal restoring diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, it participated with Pakistan in proposing a ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran. On the Gaza conflict specifically, China focused mediation efforts on Palestinian unity, securing an agreement in 2024 between rival Palestinian factions to form an interim "national reconciliation government" for the West Bank and Gaza after the war with Israel, though the arrangement was never implemented.
Wang identified the "immediate priority" as fully opening access to Gaza and halting the spread of a "humanitarian catastrophe." He stated China is willing to work with the international community to return parties to dialogue and "seek a political solution to the conflict."
Herzog responded in a post on X saying he was "pleased" to meet Wang and that their discussion "focused on the relations between our countries and the situation in the Middle East." Herzog emphasized "Israel's desire for peace in the region, alongside the strategic threats to our security, first and foremost from Iran and its terror proxies."
The exchange reflects competing diplomatic positions. China maintains close ties with Iran and is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, previously subject to US sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Israel frames its regional security concerns around Iranian threats.
The meeting comes as Gaza remains volatile one year into a ceasefire that began in October 2025. Despite halted large-scale bombardment, Israel has continued strikes almost daily, resulting in over 1,400 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable. The US-brokered ceasefire's second phase remains stalled, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating agreement terms.