A Chinese envoy on Monday voiced opposition to any unilateral action that escalates tension in the Middle East, either over Palestine or the occupied Golan Heights.
Parties that have influence in the Middle East should play a constructive role and refrain from taking any unilateral action that further escalates the tension in the region, Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told an open debate of the Security Council.
The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the fundamental question for the region. It is the common responsibility of the international community to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Palestinian people, he said.
The international community should promote the settlement of the question of Palestine with a view to establishing a fully sovereign state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital. Any new initiative put forward should be in conformity with the parameters, he said.
"With regard to other hot-spot issues in the Middle East, it is imperative for the international community to remain committed to political settlement, facilitate dialogue and negotiations, manage the situation in a constructive manner, and accommodate the legitimate rights and interests of all parties," he added.
The Syrian Golan is internationally recognized as occupied territory and the UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions calling for Israel's withdrawal from it, said Ma. "China opposes any unilateral action to alter these facts and does not wish to see any further escalation of regional tensions."
U.S. President Donald Trump last month proclaimed the recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981. The move met with widespread international condemnation.
