Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that efforts to accept membership of a Palestinian state in the United Nations are a step to correct long-standing injustice.

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The Jerusalem Post newspaper, citing the Chinese News Agency (Xinhua), reported that the Chinese minister made these statements during a joint press conference with his counterpart in Papua New Guinea during his visit to Beijing.

Wang noted that "the rapid recognition of the State of Palestine in the United Nations is a step to correct a long-standing historical injustice."

Last Thursday, the United States of America used its veto in the UN Security Council against Palestine’s request for full membership in the United Nations, in a move that prevented the international body from effectively recognizing a Palestinian state.

12 members voted in favor of this draft resolution submitted by Algeria, on behalf of the Arab Group, while Britain and Switzerland abstained from voting.

For the Council to approve any decision, it is necessary for at least 9 countries to support it, and for none of the permanent members - namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - to use the veto.

It is noteworthy that Palestine had submitted, for the first time in September 2011, an application for full membership in the United Nations, but in November 2012 the Palestinians obtained the status of a “non-member observer state” in the United Nations.

Last week, the UN Security Council referred a new request by the Palestinian Authority to obtain full membership in the international organization to the committee responsible for accepting new members.

America and other Western powers claim that UN recognition of a Palestinian state will cancel previous agreements that support negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, to establish a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel.