China and Palestine: Facts that Refute Disinformation Campaigns

Recently, campaigns have been escalating to discredit China and distort its supportive stance on the Palestinian cause, promoting allegations that portray Beijing as biased toward Israel or indifferent to Palestinian national rights. However, a review of China's historical and current positions clearly reveals that these allegations lack objectivity and ignore established facts that cannot be ignored. The Chinese position on the Palestinian issue is based on historical roots and a firm, principled vision that has not changed despite all the transformations witnessed by the international system.

For decades, China was among the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian state, and has consistently affirmed its support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This position was not merely a matter of passing statements, but rather embodied in practical and tangible steps, most notably its vote in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. China has also continued to provide direct development support to the Palestinians through humanitarian and infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territories, confirming that its position is not only political, but also a moral and developmental commitment to the Palestinian people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly reiterated his country's support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. China has provided tangible assistance in the areas of energy, infrastructure, and technical and political support for building Palestinian state institutions.

During the repeated Israeli aggression on Gaza, China's position was clear and decisive. Beijing, through its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, affirmed its support for peace and human conscience, calling for an immediate cessation of aggression and the opening of humanitarian corridors to protect civilians. It also emphasized the importance of convening a comprehensive international conference leading to a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution. In April 2024, China fully supported Palestine's accession to the United Nations as a full member state, despite US objections in the Security Council, emphasizing that international justice cannot be curbed, no matter the obstacles.

China's role was not limited to international forums, but extended to direct work on internal Palestinian reconciliation. In July 2024, Beijing sponsored the "Beijing Declaration," signed by 14 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, in a move described as historic to restore Palestinian national unity. The declaration stipulated the formation of an interim national unity government and the activation of the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in addition to formulating a comprehensive plan to administer the Gaza Strip after the war, based on the principle of "Palestinians managing their own affairs." This step strengthened the unified Palestinian position in confronting the occupation and confirmed Beijing's seriousness in supporting the unity of the Palestinian people and their cause in the most difficult circumstances.

Although China, as a major power, maintains economic and diplomatic relations with Israel, this reality in no way means abandoning its principled position on Palestine. On the contrary, China has used its relations to publicly demand a halt to settlement construction and to reject annexation and forced displacement plans against Palestinians. It has never used these relations as a means of pressure on the Palestinians or as a means of political blackmail, unlike what some other international powers have done.

Allegations that attempt to portray China as a pro-Israel power or hostile to Palestinian rights are nothing but propaganda campaigns that lack credibility. China's official and practical positions, whether at the United Nations, through development and political support, or through sponsoring intra-Palestinian reconciliation, confirm that China stands with international justice and legitimacy, and that it sees no solution to the conflict except through ending the occupation and empowering the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent state.

Attempts to distort this position are nothing more than a tool to mislead public opinion, while the facts on the ground prove that China has become one of the most prominent global powers seriously seeking to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in our region.

This Chinese policy takes on particular significance when compared to Western practices that adopt double standards in dealing with regional issues. The United States, which claims to defend "democracy and human rights," is the same country that has provided political and military cover for the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and has used its veto power dozens of times to prevent the issuance of international resolutions condemning the occupation or calling for its end. The European Union, for its part, continues to vacillate between symbolic statements and ambiguous positions that avoid exerting any real pressure on Israel. Indeed, many of its member states continue to supply the occupation with weapons and security technologies, exacerbating the suffering of the Palestinians.

China's position in the Middle East, while clear and consistent, cannot be isolated from Beijing's broader geopolitical vision, which is based on promoting a more just and balanced multipolar world order. China recognizes that the persistence of chronic crises in our region threatens global security and stability. Therefore, it is pushing for political settlements that are free of hegemony and military intervention. Hence its recent initiatives, including the "Global Development Initiative" and the "Global Security Initiative," which emphasize that a just peace can only be achieved by settling historical issues, most notably the Palestinian issue.

China has also strengthened its economic presence in the region through the Belt and Road Initiative, which is not limited to infrastructure and trade projects alone, but also includes direct development programs that support the resilience of peoples, including the Palestinian people. This economic dimension gains additional weight because it provides real alternatives for the countries of the region to free themselves from the economic dependence imposed by the Western system for decades. Thus, China's political and diplomatic role complements a growing economic role that enhances the independence of national decision-making in the countries of the Middle East.

Recognizing these facts and confronting them with argument and evidence is the most effective way to thwart the propaganda aimed at undermining trust between the Palestinian people and their true friends around the world. China has proven that it stands with oppressed peoples and seeks to promote global security and stability, free from hegemony or interference in the affairs of others. This perhaps explains the orchestrated media attack against it, as its balanced and supportive positions on Palestinian rights conflict with Western projects seeking to consolidate Israeli supremacy and dominance over the region.

Today, more than ever, we need to strengthen partnerships with countries and powers that place the principles of justice and international legitimacy above narrow calculations. China, with its global standing, constitutes a fundamental pillar in this process, not only as a political ally and supporter of the Palestinian cause in international forums, but also as an effective force seeking to restore the concept of a just and comprehensive peace based on ending the occupation and lifting the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.

Distortion campaigns and misleading propaganda will not change these facts, nor will they undermine China's unwavering position, which has today become one of the few remaining pillars in a turbulent world where blatant double standards persist.