The People's Republic of China is one of the first countries to support the Palestine Liberation Organization and recognize the State of Palestine. In 2013, the traditional friendship and practical cooperation between China and Palestine continued to deepen.
China and Palestine had closer political exchanges. China took further steps to support Palestinian people's just cause to regain their legitimate rights and to promote peace between Palestine and Israel. In May, President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas paid a state visit to China. During the visit, he held talks with President Xi Jinping and met with Premier Li Keqiang and other Chinese leaders. President Xi put forward China's Fourpoint Proposal for the Settlement of the Palestinian Question. In June, the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Palestinian-Israeli Peace was held in Beijing. Bassam Al-Salhi, Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party, attended the meeting. In November, President Xi sent a congratulatory message to the UN 2013 observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In December, Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Palestine. He met with President Abbas and held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki. He made further efforts on the Palestine-Israel peace talks based on the Four-point Proposal put forward by President Xi.
China continued to provide assistance to Palestine within its capacity. It provided emergency humanitarian assistance in cash to help the Palestinian refugees affected by the Syrian crisis.
Cooperation in culture, education and other areas was further expanded. The two sides signed the 2013-2016 Implementation Plan of Cultural and Educational Cooperation Agreement Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the State of Palestine.
