China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged on Sunday for the formation of a Palestinian state and a cease-fire in Gaza, where hundreds were killed in the 100-day Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, China's top diplomat stated that "it is necessary to insist on the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital."
In a joint statement, the two ministers called for an immediate cease "to all acts of violence, killing, and targeting of civilians and civilian establishments."
Israel started an aggressive military onslaught in response to Hamas' deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 23,968 Palestinians have been killed; the vast majority of them are women and children.
The two called for "an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state."
Israeli land separates the Gaza Strip from the occupied West Bank, which serves as the seat of the Palestinian Authority. Both were captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
China's President Xi Jinping has already called for an "international peace conference" to end the violence.
China has long been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Wang is now on an African tour, which will take him to Togo, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast.