By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China next week, Beijing announced on Friday.
Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said in a statement that Abbas will visit China from June 13 to 16.
Abbas is visiting Beijing at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, she said.
Amid escalating tensions between Palestine and Israel over illegal raids and land grabbing, China has backed Palestinians for a two-state solution at multiple forums.
Xi met Abbas in Riyadh last December where the Chinese president pointed out that the China-Palestine friendship is “deeply cherished by their people.”
The Chinese president was in Saudi Arabia to attend the first-ever China-Gulf Council Cooperation summit.