¡¡¡¡BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhuanet) -- China has firmly condemned Israel's expansion of military activities in Palestinian-controlled areas,which contradicts resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council.

¡¡¡¡Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Tuesday that China urged Israel to immediately implement the resolutions unconditionally and withdraw its troops from Palestinian areas.

¡¡¡¡China was concerned and worried about the situation in the Middle East and supported any efforts to ease the tension, Zhang said. China also hoped U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit in the Middle East would encourage Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestinian areas as soon as possible, and resume talks with the Palestinian authority.

¡¡¡¡China noticed that Israeli troops had started withdrawing from Palestinian areas, Zhang said. China still hoped that Israel couldwithdraw all its troops immediately to ensure the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Enditem