The economic assistance to Palestine, including humanitarian aid, is an important expression of China's support for the Middle East peace process, Sun Bigan, Chinese envoy on the Middle East, said Friday.

 

Sun made the remarks when addressing a donors' conference for Palestine held in the Swedish capital, saying China is highly concerned with the Middle East issue and has made active political, economic and humanitarian efforts to advance the Middle East peace process.

 

Sun, who is attending the meeting on behalf of Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, said the Chinese government and people are worried about the current deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, adding that China is willing to intensify its coordination and cooperation with the international community to push forward the Palestinian cause.

 

The Palestine-Israel issue should not be ignored, he said, urging the international community to take effective actions to ease the Palestine-Israel tension and help resume peace talks.

 

The conference, arranged by Sweden, Norway and Spain, raised nearly US$500 million in aid for Palestine, said Swedish Aid Minister Carin Jamtin.

 

Delegates from 35 countries and nearly 20 international organizations attended the meeting.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2006)