Beijing, Oct 9: US Senate Majority Leader Schumer said Monday he was grateful for a strengthened statement from China condemning the killing and kidnapping of Israeli and foreign civilians by Hamas, issued during a bipartisan Congressional visit to Beijing that included a lengthy meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Schumer had said earlier in the day that he was very disappointed by China’s failure to strongly condemn the attack on Israel and show sympathy for the country and its people.
Schumer led a delegation of six senators to China for talks aimed at stabilising ties following a sharp deterioration in recent years over trade, US support for self-governing Taiwan, human rights and other issues.
The delegation, which included three Democrats and three Republicans, was the first visit by US lawmakers since 2019 and came at a time of growing attacks on China in Congress as America contends with Beijing’s rise as a global power.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that China is “deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict between Palestine and Israel”.
“China opposes and condemns acts that harm civilians,” along with actions that “expand conflict and undermine regional stability,” Mao said at a daily afternoon press briefing.
China hopes for a resumption of peace talks, implementation of a two-state solution, and a “comprehensive and proper settlement of the Palestinian issue, which guarantees the legitimate concerns of all parties, through political means, as early as possible,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, China’s embassy in Israel said a young woman of mixed Israeli-Chinese heritage was among the scores of hostages seized by Hamas fighters who killed at least 800 in Israel.
“Noa was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists when attending a peace music festival in southern Israel. She was dragged from Israel to Gaza,” the embassy’s statement said.
“She is a daughter, a sister and a friend.”
Schumer’s delegation also met with the head of China’s rubber-stamp parliament and the country’s highest-ranking diplomat, Wang Yi, to whom he delivered the same statement about the recent violence.
President Xi’s comments were not immediately reported, and Wang did not respond before journalists were escorted out of the room.
Schumer said he had made a direct request to Xi to strengthen the Foreign Ministry’s statement on the Hamas attack and the “horrible, gut-wrenching loss of civilian life” which had been omitted from the earlier missive.
“I’m gratified the Foreign Ministry issued a new statement that did condemn the loss of civilian life,” he told reporters at a news conference following the conclusion of meetings.
Schumer’s meeting with Xi ran to 80 minutes – 20 more than scheduled – emphasising the careful preparation and highly detailed nature of the discussions, the senator said.
Schumer said the US side asserted its concerns about the lack of reciprocity and the need for a “level playing field” for American businesses in China, and urged China to take measures to prevent the export of chemicals used to make the drug fentanyl, which has fuelled a deadly wave of addictions. (AP)
