Egypt's el-Sisi, other Arab leaders to head to China this week
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El-Sisi will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASFC).
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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi before a bilateral meeting of the Second Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, April 25, 2019 in Beijing, China. (AP)
China will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and several other Arab leaders in Beijing this week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the leaders will "pay state visits to China and attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum" from May 28 to June 1.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Tunisian President Kais Saied, and the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be part of the delegation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the forum and deliver a keynote address on May 30, Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li said at a press conference in Beijing.
Xi would also "hold talks with the four heads of the state respectively to exchange views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern", Deng said.
Deng added that the forum will be co-chaired by top diplomat Wang Yi and his Mauritanian counterpart and that it will aim to deepen "consensus between China and Arab countries."
They would also "issue a common voice between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue," he said.
Palestinian Resistance factions talks in China
China's political presence in the Middle East has increased ever since Beijing was successful in brokering rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Recently in April, Palestinian Resistance factions visited Beijing in an attempt to foster unity among the factions, paving the ground for later meetings. Sources revealed to Al Mayadeen on April 30 the outcomes of the meeting held between the two Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, in the Chinese capital Beijing.
The sources confirmed that the two factions agreed on the importance of unifying the Palestinian position regarding the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, emphasizing the importance of a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Strip.
The sources reported from the meeting that Hamas and Fatah affirmed the necessity of unity and ending the division, "within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization by joining all Palestinian forces and factions within it and its institutions, based on previous agreements in this regard."
The sources informed Al Mayadeen that the outcomes of the meeting will constitute the agenda for the next meeting in Beijing on June 14, 2024.
On their part, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that both sides "expressed political willingness to achieve reconciliation through dialogue," adding that they reached an agreement on ideas for future dialogue, and "they will continue the dialogue to achieve Palestinian unity as soon as possible."
The ministry affirmed that Hamas and Fatah expressed their great appreciation for China's support for the Palestinian people.
