Palestinian President Abbas arrives in Beijing as China expands Middle East involvement

This is his fifth official visit to the world's second-largest economy

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. EPA

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, with China expressing its readiness to help in arranging Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Mr Abbas will stay until Friday, Beijing has said, on his fifth official visit to the world's second-largest economy.

He will meet President Xi Jinping during the trip, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The two are expected to “exchange opinions … on the latest developments on the Palestinian arena, as well as on regional and international issues of mutual concern”, Wafa reported.

Mr Abbas will also meet Premier Li Qiang, the news agency said.

The long-time Palestinian leader is an “old and good friend of the Chinese people”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last week.

“China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights,” he said.

China attaches great importance to the Palestinian issue and will continue to support peace talks, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki on Tuesday, offering to contribute “Chinese wisdom”.

China has always firmly supported the cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights, Mr Qin also told Mr Al Maliki, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Beijing has sought to boost its ties to the Middle East, challenging long-standing US influence there – efforts that have triggered unease in Washington.

Mr Xi visited Saudi Arabia in December on an Arab outreach trip. He met Mr Abbas and pledged to “work for an early, just and durable solution to the Palestinian issue”.

During a trip to Riyadh last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the kingdom was not being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing, striking a conciliatory tone following tension with the long-time ally.

China looks set to increase its economic presence in the Palestinian territories, with the two countries having reached an agreement in principle over four projects that Beijing will fund in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said Mohammed Mustafa, economic adviser to Mr Abbas.

“Hopefully the initial signing will take place (on Wednesday) in the presence of the two presidents,” Mr Mustafa said on Palestinian television earlier on Tuesday.

The projects include a solar power installation, a factory for solar panel production, a steel plant and road infrastructure development, he said.

In an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua published this week, Palestinian official Abbas Zaki said China and the Palestinians were “friends closer than brothers”.

“I am very pleased to see that China has been more involved in Middle East affairs after the China-Arab States Summit last year,” he said.

Mr Zaki said that the rapprochement signalled a change in the political landscape in the Middle East and raised awareness of unity and independence among regional countries.

The Palestinian official said western countries, led by the US, had destabilised the region.

“Iraq, Libya and Syria were destroyed by them, and Sudan is now facing fragmentation,” he said.

The last direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine took place in 2014 and were organised by the US.

Mr Abbas's trip will make him the first Arab head of state to be received by China this year.