BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned Israel’s strike on Qatar’s capital a day earlier, linking it to what it called the “unbalanced stance of certain external powers on Middle East issues”, in an apparent reference to the United States.
Israel attempted to kill Hamas political leaders with an airstrike on Doha on Tuesday, expanding its military campaign in the Middle East with what the U.S. described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.
China firmly opposed Israel’s violation of Qatar’s territorial sovereignty, its foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press conference.
“China strongly urges all parties concerned, particularly Israel, to make greater positive efforts to quell the fighting and restart negotiations, rather than the opposite,” he said.
Without naming the United States, China urged “certain major powers” to “play a constructive role in promoting a ceasefire, ending hostilities, and easing regional tensions”.
Lin referred to the attack as being “inextricably linked to the long-standing and gravely unbalanced stance of certain external powers on Middle East issues”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the Israeli strike and would be giving a full statement on the issue on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Liz Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
