China's Middle East envoy in Qatar for talks: foreign ministry
China's Middle East envoy Zhai Jun was in Qatar, embarking on a Middle East visit that Beijing said Friday was part of a bid to "cool down" the Israel-Hamas war.
Zhai Jun met with Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov as well as Qatari top diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi in the capital Doha on Thursday, the foreign ministry said.
Both meetings saw the diplomats exchange views on the conflict between "between Palestine and Israel", Beijing said.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the country would work with Russia "to cool down the situation as soon as possible, and to play a positive role in resuming the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks".
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"The current situation between Palestine and Israel is at a critical point," Zhai told the Qatari foreign minister.
Washington has said it hopes China's friendship with Hamas-backer Iran could help calm the conflict, particularly after Beijing brokered a detente between long-time foes Tehran and Riyadh this year.
Doha is host to a Hamas office, and the Gulf state has been engaged in intense diplomacy behind the scenes and has been linked to negotiations for a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas because of its open channels with the militant group.
"Qatar has an important influence on the Palestinian issue," Zhai said, adding that "China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with Qatar and play a constructive role in easing the current tensions."
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