China supports the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday during an Arab League convention in Cairo
The Palestinian issue "should not be marginalized," Xi said, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency. "We are in favor of putting in place a new mechanism to promote peace as to the Middle East question, and support efforts made by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation toward this end," said the leader of the world's most populous country and its second-largest economy.
Xi declared that that Beijing "firmly supports the Middle East peace process, the establishment of a state of Palestine with full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital," Xinhua reported.
Xi also announced grants worth about $7.6 million for the Palestinians and support the solar power project in the Palestinian territories.
Also Thursday, China signed investment and aid deals worth billions of dollars with Egypt during Xi's visit and expressed support for Cairo's efforts to maintain stability, which have included a crackdown on dissent.
Xi arrived in Egypt on Wednesday on the second leg of a Middle East tour that signals China's push for greater influence in a region that provides vital oil supplies.
The visit, just before the Jan. 25 anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, is seen in Egypt as a vote of confidence in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's administration, whose human rights record has attracted criticism elsewhere.
Xi praised Egypt's efforts to strengthen its economy during talks with Sisi, who has warned his critics not to hold protests on Monday.
"China supports Egypt's efforts to maintain stability, develop the economy and improve livelihoods, and ... play an even greater role in international and regional affairs," Xi said, according to China's foreign ministry.
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