Visiting Chinese special envoy for the Middle East Sun Bigan called for an immediate halt of military activities in Gaza during his meeting with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday.

The two discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been under intensive Israeli attacks for almost three weeks, causing more than 1,000 Palestinians dead and over 4,600 wounded.

Sun urged all parties to abide by UN Security Council resolution 1860 to avoid additional civilian casualties and ease the humanitarian crisis.

He said as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has the duty to uphold justice and safeguard world peace. The warfare in Gaza, since its start, had drawn attentions from the Chinese leadership as well as the Chinese public.

Sun said China has been making efforts to bring peace back to the region and to ease the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza.

Sun stressed that China has been long supporting the stance held by the PNA and Abbas that the Palestinian issue should be solved politically.

He expressed his hope that the Palestinian side could continue gaining international support, and the disputes can be solved through negotiations.

Sun said that unity remains the basic and most important factor that ensures the Palestinians to regain their legitimate national rights, adding that China appreciates the tireless efforts that Abbas has made to maintain Palestinian national unity.

Abbas highly praised the five standpoints on the current Middle East situation issued by China, thanked for China's emergency humanitarian aid, and expressed his willingness to keep exerting efforts to restore stability as soon as possible.

Before his visit to Ramallah, Sun also toured Egypt and Israel, where he put forward five standpoints of the Chinese government on the current Middle East situation to Egyptian and Israeli officials.

The five standpoints are:

1. China calls on all parties concerned to abide by the UN Security Council Resolution 1860, and cease all military actions immediately to avert more casualties.

2. Measures should be taken to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A stable channel for supply of humanitarian aid including food, medicine and fuel, for Gaza should be open at the earliest time possible, and parties concerned should provide necessary guarantee in this regard.

3. Parties concerned should establish, through negotiation, a ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Gaza and work to create durable security and stability there.

4. The Palestine-Israel peace talks should resume at the earliest time, and efforts should be made to seek solution to issues related to the final status of Palestine on the basis of mutual-trust, so that an independent Palestinian state will be established as early as possible and the "two states" of Palestine and Israel will coexist peacefully.

5. The international community should increase mediating efforts for peace and promote a comprehensive, just and durable settlement of the Middle East issue. China is ready to work with parties concerned and make unremitting efforts in this regard.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2009)