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William Zheng

China has renewed calls for “peace and stability” in the Middle East after a string of deadly communications equipment explosions in Lebanon.
“China is highly concerned about the relevant incidents, and opposes any infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing on Thursday.
“[China] is also concerned that the incident may cause an escalation of tensions in the region, and [we] call on all parties concerned to effectively maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.”
The call came after an unknown number of handheld radios used by the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah exploded across southern Lebanon on Wednesday in the country’s deadliest day since cross-border fighting erupted between the militants and Israel nearly a year ago.
Lebanon’s health ministry said that at least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday.
A day earlier, thousands of pagers used and distributed by the group exploded, killing 12, including two children, and wounding nearly 3,000, Reuters reported.
Israel has not commented directly on or taken responsibility for the explosions, but multiple security sources have said that its spy agency, Mossad, was behind the attacks.




The explosions have sown disarray in Lebanon, and raised fears of a return to all-out war, last fought 18 years ago.
Israel also bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had thwarted an Iran-backed assassination plot.
Reuters reported that Israeli security services arrested an Israeli citizen last month on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot.
The businessman with connections in Turkey had attended at least two meetings in Iran to discuss assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister or the head of the Shin Bet spy agency, according to the report.
Earlier, Israeli fighter jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon, Israel’s military said.


Citing Israeli media reports, Reuters said that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon but there was no official confirmation. Hezbollah fired around 20 projectiles into Israel on Wednesday, most of which were intercepted by air defence systems without causing any injuries, the Israeli military said.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the Israeli-Lebanon border in parallel with the war Israel has waged in Gaza against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose fighters attacked Israel on October 7.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the Israel-Lebanon border area on both sides. Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return the evacuated Israelis “securely to their homes”, according to Reuters.


In a series of statements issued at the United Nations in New York this week, Chinese diplomats have accused Washington of blocking ceasefire efforts, adding that an end to Israel’s “unlawful presence” in Palestine was “not an option” but a “legal obligation”.
At a UN Security Council briefing on Monday, China’s deputy permanent representative Geng Shuang questioned why the council, despite being responsible for maintaining international peace and security, had been “unable to stop this human tragedy, the worst of its kind to this day”.


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China-Middle East relations

China fears further Middle East fallout from deadly walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon

The remains of a walkie-talkie that exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Lebanon pager blasts expected to prompt greater caution in China about electronic devices

Thousands of people were injured in the blasts, including Hezbollah fighters. Photo: Reuters 

Pagers are seen on display at a meeting room at the Gold Apollo company building in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

People react near an ambulance as the wounded are brought to a hospital in Beirut following the attack. Photo: AFP

China accuses US of shielding Israel, blocking Gaza ceasefire efforts

China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Geng Shuang attends a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 4. Photo: Reuters

China’s post-Gaza war ambitions will have to include Israel eventually: experts

 Illustration: Brian Wang

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (fourth from left) hosts the signing of the “Beijing declaration” between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas in Beijing on July 23, 2024. Photo: AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Netanyahu’s 2017 visit to China. Photo: AP

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre) with Saudi deputy foreign minister Waleed Elkhereiji and Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani in Beijing in December 2023. Photo: Xinhua

China issues Lebanon travel warning as Israel tensions spark ‘grave’ security alert

Demonstrators at a rally in Sidon, Lebanon, on Monday condemn the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Iran blames Israel for the assassination in Tehran last week and has vowed  revenge. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Diplomacy

Beijing says all parties in the regional conflict must work towards peace and stability


Beijing says all parties in the regional conflict must work towards peace and stability.


Israel-Gaza war