FLASH
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China has launched a special envoy to the Middle East to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. As Voice of America correspondent Nike Ching reports, the United States has urged China to use its influence in the Middle East to prevent attacks by various actors on Israel and the expansion of the conflict.
While US President Joe Biden is preparing to visit Israel on Wednesday and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is conducting visits to many Middle Eastern countries in an effort to defuse the situation, China has stepped up and apparently sent an envoy to the region. to help efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Secretary Blinken held an eight-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the United States pledged to influence the opening of a humanitarian corridor to deliver aid to civilians.
"The United States and Israel have agreed to create a plan that will enable the delivery of humanitarian aid by donor countries and international organizations to civilians - and only civilians - in Gaza, including the possibility of creating zones to care for civilians do not get damaged. It is extremely important that aid begins to enter Gaza as soon as possible," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Meanwhile, Mr. Blinken also talked with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the weekend, on the eve of his planned visit to Washington at the end of this month. The Chinese Foreign Minister then spoke with his Iranian counterpart.
China is sending a special official to the region, signaling a willingness to deepen its commitment to brokering a possible cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
The United States has warned Iran and other countries not to exploit the conflict and urged China to engage in de-escalation of the situation in the Middle East. China has a close relationship with Iran. In March, China brokered a normalization deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
"The Chinese achieved this success because they have relations with both sides. China also has significant economic and natural resource interests, a long-term fuel contract with Iran, as part of which they have now deployed some naval equipment to secure oil and gas exports. So, in all aspects, diplomatic, economic and military, China's role is growing," said former US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Kurtzer.
Some US officials are skeptical that China can broker a lasting political solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, given that Iran is a historic backer of Hamas. China has condemned the "actions against civilians", but has not condemned Hamas clearly.
"Hamas does not accept the two-state solution. Hamas does not recognize the state of Israel. Hamas basically wants to destroy the state of Israel and kill Israelis. It remains to be seen whether China has the ability to be a real mediator," said US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.
This week, China is hosting a meeting with officials from 130 countries that are part of the One Road One Belt Initiative. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance as his country continues its war against Ukraine for the second year in a row. At the same time, Beijing has offered to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine./VOA
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