China tells Israel to stop 'forced establishment' of West Bank settlements

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told Israel to stop its "forced establishment" of settlements in the West Bank and reverse its actions, his office said. The "Palestinian question" is "the greatest historical injustice of this century", Wang told Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of a conference in Azerbaijan on Thursday. Beijing has been a longstanding supporter of the Palestinian cause and has maintained that a "two-state solution" is the "correct direction". It has also been positioning itself as a mediator for conflicts in the Middle East. In 2023 Beijing brokered a deal to restore diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia after years of hostility.