Despite reports that he hs been ill and is dying, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, or Abu Mazen, arrived Tuesday morning for an official visit to Beijing. This comes after China expressed a willingness to help promote peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Abbas is expected to stay until Friday, on his fifth official visit to the world's second-largest economy.
The official Palestinian news agency, “Wafa”, reported that Abbas will meet with President Xi Jinping during the trip. The two are expected to "exchange views on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena as well as on regional and international issues," Wafa reported. Abbas will also meet with Prime Minister Li Chiang, the news agency added.
Mahmoud Abbas, self-declared eternal leader of Palestinians, refuses to condemn China's genocidal campaign against the Muslim Uighurs.
— RedBrasco - RedLehi (@redbrasco) June 13, 2023
That China has paid millions of dollars to Abbas and his family has no bearing on the situation, according to a Palestinian spokesperson! pic.twitter.com/Xofx0GMzmC
The veteran Palestinian leader is "an old and good friend of the Chinese people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last week. "China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights," he added. Beijing is seeking to strengthen its ties with the Middle East, and is challenging the long-standing American influence there; efforts that are causing discomfort for the Biden administration.
Last December, President Xi visited Saudi Arabia on a journey to build ties with the Arab world, during which he also met with Abbas and pledged to "work for a quick, just and durable solution to the Palestinian issue." During a visit to Riyadh last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saudi Arabia does not have to choose between Washington and Beijing, striking a conciliatory tone amid tensions with the longtime ally.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in China to discuss the possibility of peace talks with Israel@hamdahsalhut breaks down how Beijing continues their efforts to become a larger power broker in the Middle East #i24NEWSDesk | @sarahmartinez_7 pic.twitter.com/hH3Ckk5uhN
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 13, 2023
In an interview with the Chinese state news agency Xinhua published this week, Palestinian senior official Abbas Zaki said that China and the Palestinians were "closer friends than brothers. I am very happy to see that China is more involved in Middle East affairs after the China-Arab summit last year.”
News of Abu Mazen’s trip comes after Sources in the Palestinian movement reported on his deteriorating health. "Abu Mazen had to come to the hospital in Ramallah in recent weeks to conduct medical tests, but he preferred to summon the doctors to him, to the hospital in Mukta. Doctors were summoned several times in the past to conduct tests on Abu Mazen, and before he left for the UN, he also secretly underwent urgent medical tests in Jordan." The leader of the Palestinian Authority, 88, has been in power since 2005 and has yet to name a successor.
