Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Reporting by Fuat Kabakci; Writing by Diyar Guldogan,

Beijing : Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated support for an independent Palestine state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

“Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved unless the Palestine issue is solved, as this issue is a root one in the region,” Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Wang’s remarks came during his meeting with Ahmed Majdalani and Nabil Shaath — the representatives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — in the capital Beijing.

He called on the international community to back a two-state solution and independent Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders.

Wang added the UN General Assembly vote — overwhelmingly rejecting the U.S. move on Jerusalem — both reflected the consensus of the international community and expressed the call for accelerating the peace process in the Middle East.

He also asked the Palestinian people to solve their problems through dialogue, to increase the role of the UN in this regard and raise their voice for peace, according to Xinhua.

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite worldwide opposition. The decision sparked angry demonstration across the Muslim world.

Following a UN Security Council resolution that would have passed unanimously but for a U.S. veto, the General Assembly passed a resolution spurning the U.S. move, 128-9.

General Assembly votes are not subject to vetos.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top Turkish officials have been at the international forefront opposing the U.S. move, through sponsoring the UN resolution and calling an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, among other measures.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.

—AA