Palestinian officials stressed the importance of the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to China, which comes at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, praising the Palestinian-Chinese relations and China's support for the Palestinian people and their cause.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Friday that President Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Palestinian Presidency said in an official statement that Abbas' visit comes on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries and within the framework of the Palestinian and Chinese leaderships' keenness to promote and consolidate strong bilateral relations in all fields.

The statement added that President Abbas will, during the visit and his meeting with President Xi, discuss strengthening bilateral relations and exchanging views on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and regional and international issues of common concern.

In turn, the Palestinian ambassador to China, Fariz Mahdawi, told the official ((Voice of Palestine)) radio that China receives President Abbas as the first Arab leader since the beginning of this year, which indicates the depth of the historical relationship between the two sides.

Mahdawi added that the visit carries a special symbolism that Palestine is on the ladder of the interests of the Chinese leadership, as it is the central issue for the stability of the Middle East region and the key to its relationship with the Arab peoples.

Mahdawi added that the Palestinian-Chinese relations are historical and will take on new dimensions during President Abbas's visit, because the Palestinian and Chinese sides are in the process of raising the level of relations to a higher level than it is.

He pointed out that President Abbas' visit will focus on several aspects, the most important of which is the political one, through holding official talks with President Xi and informing him of the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the challenges facing the Palestinians.

He continued, saying that the visit will also focus on the cooperative and development aspect, expressing the Palestinian side's aspiration to bring Chinese companies to work in the Palestinian territories.

Mahdawi also expressed his hope that China would play an important role in the peace process in the Middle East region, especially as it is now strongly present in the region and its relations are taking great momentum at all levels, politically, commercially and economically.

China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization, and then recognized Palestine, so Abbas's visit to China would support existing strong relations, according to Mahdawi.

Abbas' visit comes in light of the cessation of peace negotiations with Israel since 2014, the refusal of successive Israeli governments to sit at the negotiating table, and in light of the Palestinians' criticism of the US administration for not playing its role in sponsoring the peace process.

For his part, Abdullah Abdullah, Deputy Commissioner for International Relations of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), told reporters in Ramallah that the Palestinian leadership is working on international mobilization from China in cooperation with other countries to strengthen positions supporting the Palestinian right and stop the "violations" carried out by Israel in Palestinian territories.

Abdullah added that China has entered the Middle East region firmly as a political and economic partner of the Arab countries, and has recently succeeded in mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and we must benefit from Chinese efforts in favor of the Palestinian cause.

Abdullah praised China's positions in support of the Palestinian people and their cause, noting that China is the first non-Arab country to open an office for the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the relationship between the two sides is historical and constantly developing for the better.

For his part, Omar Awadallah, Palestinian Assistant Foreign Minister to the United Nations and its specialized organizations, considered that China is one of the friendly countries whose positions have not changed over the 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Palestine.

Awad Allah said that China has remained the same supportive and friendly brother who stands by Palestine, and it has been one of the active countries since the international system began to form.

Awadallah added that China "did not change its positions and did not use the method of bullying and blackmail to impose its agenda on anyone in the world, and it is a pivotal country and the first on the agenda of the international community in terms of economic terms and now it plays an important political role in the stability of regions and many countries, especially what happened recently in mediation." between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Awadallah stressed that the Palestinian-Chinese relations are continuing to develop, and President Abbas's visit is the culmination of these relations, which have been in existence for 35 years.