BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- China backs Palestine's bid to become a non-member observer state of the United Nations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said Thursday.
Hong told a daily press briefing that China supports the Palestinian people's efforts to establish an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border.
"We understand, respect and support Palestine's bid as a UN observer state," he said.
The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday afternoon in New York on a resolution raising Palestine's status at the United Nations from an observer to a non-member observer state.
It is the Palestinians' legitimate right to establish an independent country, said Hong, adding that this is the basis of the two-state solution.
Meanwhile, China thinks that peaceful negotiation is the right path to finally realize the two-state solution, said Hong.
He called on both Palestine and Israel to solve outstanding issues through dialogue and negotiation.
Currently, Palestine is regarded as an observer "entity" at the United Nations. Acceptance of Palestine as a non-member state, similar to the Vatican's UN status, would implicitly recognize Palestinian statehood.
The upgrade could also grant the Palestinians access to bodies like the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where they could file complaints against Israel.
Israel and its closest ally, the United States, oppose the Palestinian move at the United Nations.
RAMALLAH, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians expressed satisfaction on Wednesday over the international support to their bid to the United Nations to demand a recognition of a non-member observer state, despite the strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
The current bid is gaining a majority of support among the Palestinians, contrary to last year, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas failed to convince the UN Security Council to recognize the state of Palestine as a full member in the global organization. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government reiterated on Wednesday that it will vote against the Palestinian bid for a non-member state status in the United Nations.
"We've been very clear with our partners and with allies around the world that we intend to vote no, that we think this is a mistake and makes our effort to try to get the parties back to the table more difficult," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in a briefing. Full story
JERUSALEM, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli officials and experts threw a damp over Palestine's planned Thursday bid for a non-member state status in the United Nations, in spite of the strong determination showed by Palestinians. Full story
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