Palestinian officials praise Abbas' visit to China

Palestinian officials on Wednesday hailed President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to China this week, stressing that the three-day visit was successful on all levels. The visit had positive and very important results in supporting the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the peace process," said Nemer Hammad, Abbas' political adviser. Abbas is the first Arab leader to visit Beijing after the new Chinese government took office. "This is a very important signal to the Chinese interest in the Palestinian cause in particular and the peace process in general," he said. He called on China to exert further efforts to revive the stalled peace negotiations with Israel, especially as Beijing supports the Palestinian stance that the final peace settlement should be based on the two-state solution. On Tuesday, Abbas wrapped up his visit to China, during which Abbas held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks came as the United States and several other countries, including China, stepped up efforts to revive the Israeli- Palestinian negotiations. Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee said Abbas' visit to Beijing reflects China foreign policy's openness to the Palestinian cause and the peace." He welcomed China's reaffirmation of its stance that supports the Palestinian people's rights, mainly the right in establishing an independent state. The Chinese vision to end the conflict in the Middle East encourages the creation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem and the negotiations are the only way to reach that goal, Majdalani said. The Palestinian and Chinese officials also reached several deals involving education and trade, said Majdi Al-Khaldi, an aide to Abbas.