Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met with chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday.

During their meeting, Tang said China hopes the Palestinians and Israel will soon restart peace talks on the basis of mutual trust and push forward the implementation of the roadmap peace plan.

He pledged that China will continue to play an active role in helping realize long-term peace in the Middle East.

He also conveyed a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Abbas, which says China appreciates the Palestinian leadership's efforts to maintain political stability during the transitional period. Hu Jintao expressed the hope that the upcoming election will go smoothly.

Abbas said the Palestinian people highly value China's support for their cause and he believes the relationship between China and Palestine will progress.

At a joint news conference with Abbas following their meeting, Tang called for holding an international conference on the Middle East peace process, which is to be sponsored by the United Nations Security Council.

Tang hoped the UN Security Council can play a constructive role in the Middle East peace process and urged the international community to exert every possible effort to ensure a smooth Palestinian presidential election due on Jan. 9.

Abbas, on his part, expressed optimism about making peace with Israel.

The high-ranking Chinese delegation headed by Tang arrived in Ramallah earlier on Monday as part of China's efforts to push forward the Middle East peace process.

(CRI.com December 28, 2004)