Chinese FM tells Herzog that Israel should stop ‘forced establishment’ of settlements

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse its “forced establishment” of West Bank settlements, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement released Friday. China has consistently held that the Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century, Wang told Herzog in Baku, Azerbaijan, China’s ministry added. Wang said that promoting peace and reconciliation in the region is the “cornerstone” of China’s Middle East policy, with Beijing believing that the “two-state solution” is the right path to a resolution and the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian “catastrophe” is not allowed to spread. China is willing to work with the international community to push all parties to return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and seek a political settlement of the conflict, Wang further said. According to Herzog’s office, the Israeli president met with Wang on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Baku on Thursday to discuss “bilateral relations,” with an emphasis on “economic, trade, and cultural ties.” His office declined to comment when asked about their discussions on the West Bank or the Palestinians. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Herzog also met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al Zayani. During his address, Herzog called for expanding Israel’s diplomatic and economic ties with Asian nations. “I say to all neighboring countries, to all nations in this region and in Asia, that Israel desires and strives to enhance collaboration and to broaden the circle of peace. But it must be clear: Peace cannot exist with terror, and cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts,” Herzog told the summit of international leaders. Advertisement “Members of this institution have the right to live freely and peacefully, without their existence being constantly threatened,” he declared. President Isaac Herzog addresses the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Azerbaijan, on October 15, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/GPO) In his speech, Herzog urged forging relationships based on “common interests,” and hailed the success of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, which he said show “how converging interests can transform political realities.” He nodded to the Bahraini and Emirati representatives in the audience. “Israel has much to contribute to Asia here in the 21st century, in technology and science, water management and innovation, advanced agricultural practices, energy, tourism, fintech, healthcare, AI, and more,” Herzog added. “We truly see ourselves as part of the Asian continent and want to contribute to it.” However, when Herzog began his speech, representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, the Palestinian Authority and Kuwait left the hall. Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani remained. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) on the sidelines of the 7th CICA Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 15, 2026. (Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout / Anadolu) Meanwhile, Wang voiced continued support for the Palestinians and said China will keep speaking up for the Palestinian cause, according to a ministry statement. “The Palestinian issue should not be marginalized,” Wang told his Palestinian Authority counterpart, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, at the Baku summit, the statement said. Advertisement Wang urged “all peace-loving countries” to support the two-state solution, according to the statement. Israel is a founding member of the 28-member peace-building organization, as are regional powers like Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. World powers China and Russia are also CICA members, while the US is an observer state. Nava Freiberg contributed to this report. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Settlers beat Palestinians, US journalist in West Bank attacks: ‘They kept kicking me and kicking me’ 2 Dozens of Jews meet in New York to further their vision of Jewish life without Zionism 3 Israel cites Gazan merchants angered by Hamas taxes as commercial goods stop entering Strip 4 Pillay decries US sanctions on ICC, where she is ‘confident’ Netanyahu will one day stand trial 5 Analysis 3 experts on how you’re reading election polls wrong — and why they can’t predict the result 6 In first, Netanyahu reveals he spoke with Syria’s Sharaa after 2025 strike in Damascus 7 Liberman accuses Eisenkot of seeking to form unity government with Likud: ‘He’s Gantz 2’ 8 PM says Ben Gvir can’t be defense or police minister after election, angering Otzma Yehudit read more: Israel & the Region Isaac Herzog Baku PA Palestinian Authority Israel-China relations Palestinian-China relations If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.