China described the war in Gaza as a “disgrace to civilisation” and called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire as the conflict stretched into its sixth month despite efforts by mediators to reach a truce.

“It is a tragedy for humankind and a disgrace for civilisation that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian disaster cannot be stopped,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference in Beijing.

“The international community must act urgently, making an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities an overriding priority, and ensuring humanitarian relief an urgent moral responsibility,” Wang said.

China supports Palestine in becoming a full member of the United Nations (UN), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the country’s annual legislative session, Wang said China-US relations bear on the well-being of the people of both countries, and the future of humanity and the world.

The United States should take an objective and rational view of China’s development, and match its words with actions to honor the commitments on China-US relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.
“Our position is the three principles proposed by President Xi Jinping — mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation,” Wang said.

Noting that peaceful coexistence is the baseline, Wang said conflict and confrontation between two major countries like China and the United States would have unimaginable consequences.

“If the United States says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country? If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word ‘China,’ where is its confidence as a major country? If it only wants itself to prosper but denies other countries’ legitimate development, where is international fairness? If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition?” Wang said.
“The challenge for the United States comes from itself, not from China. If the United States is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself,” he noted.