US invites China to join Gaza peace board
China on Tuesday said it has received an invitation from the US to join President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza, but declined to say whether it will join the initiative. China has received the US’ invitation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said when asked about China’s position on the establishment of the Gaza “Board of Peace” and whether China has received an invitation to join it.
He declined to say to whom the invitation was addressed or whether China would join the board, described by Trump as a “bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also received invitations to join the Peace Board. Several other countries have received similar offers.
The US president unveiled the board as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In October, Israel and militant group Hamas agreed to Trump’s peace plan. The board is being projected by Washington as a new international body to usher in peace and stability in Gaza and beyond, triggering speculations that it may respond to other global conflicts as well.
Asked about China’s view on Trump’s one-year Presidency, which was marked by a tariff war between the two countries, Guo said that in the past year, China-US relations realised overall and dynamic stability despite ups and downs. This serves the shared interests of the people in both countries, and meets the common aspiration of the international community, he said.
