Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia on April 16, 2025, and President Xi’s meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, where they jointly declared their support for Egypt’s official position on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, came after attending a meeting to exchange agreements between the two countries at the Malaysian Prime Minister’s official residence in Putrajaya. Both countries affirmed the official position of both China and Malaysia that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian territories. China took advantage of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia to urge Malaysia to issue a joint statement with China affirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter to implement true multilateralism and transform the world into a multipolar world. They also emphasized adherence to the multilateral international system under the umbrella of the United Nations, respect for the principles of the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They also issued a joint Chinese-Malaysian call for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and an immediate return to negotiations for a two-state solution.
Malaysia also expressed the same position as Egypt and President “El-Sisi,” which China supports, rejecting any proposal that would lead to the forced displacement or transfer of Palestinians from their homeland. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry’s statement emphasized that “such inhumane acts in the Gaza Strip constitute ethnic cleansing and a clear violation of international law and UN resolutions.” China, Malaysia, and Russia also supported President El-Sisi’s position in rejecting US President Trump’s statements, emphasizing their rejection of the “cancel culture” pursued by Trump and his administration, including the abolition of international law and all agreed-upon agreements regarding the current situation in the Middle East. The joint Malaysian-Chinese statement, and the Russian statement before it, sided with Egypt and President Sisi in rejecting the abolition of UN Security Council resolutions, which have been universally recognized as a necessary and urgent basis for working towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. They also affirmed their firm stance against Trump’s statements about the need to evacuate the entire population of the Gaza Strip and transform it into a tourist resort, stressing that such American statements are absurd and lead to an exacerbation of the situation in the Middle East. China, Malaysia, Russia, and the Arab countries agreed with Egypt and El-Sisi that “a settlement in the Middle East can only be reached on the basis of a two-state solution,” considering the two-state solution to be “the only possible solution.”
Here, the joint official Chinese-Malaysian political position during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia on April 16, 2025, was consistent with his Egyptian counterpart’s support for Palestinian rights and rejection of Israeli policies. This came after the Israeli army announced the transformation of approximately 30% of the Gaza Strip into a security cordon, creating a buffer zone in which Palestinian residents cannot live. Therefore, the Chinese-Malaysian positions agreed with Egypt that Gaza is an integral part of the land of Palestine and that the principle of Palestinian rule over Palestine must be adhered to in the administration of Gaza after the end of the conflict.
The joint Chinese-Egyptian military maneuvers, known as the “Eagles of Civilization maneuvers,” in April 2025, came amid heightened tensions on the Egyptian-Israeli border, with the unprecedented escalation of Egyptian military deployments in Sinai with full Chinese support. This coincided with joint air maneuvers between Egypt and China. This raised great concern in Tel Aviv, which considered the Egyptian moves a violation of the Camp David Accords. This comes at a time when relations between the two sides have been rapidly deteriorating since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. This comes despite full Chinese-Egyptian understanding and coordination in the face of any American pressure regarding the forced displacement of Gaza residents to Egypt, Jordan, and neighboring countries. This is especially true given Egypt’s keenness to diversify its military’s sources of arms from China by purchasing the Chinese J-31 stealth aircraft, which the US and Israeli defense ministries have described as “giving the Egyptian Air Force a qualitative edge in the regio”n.
China also officially affirmed its support for the peace plans led by Egypt under the leadership of President “Abdel Fattah El-Sis”i, with the approval of other Arab countries. China affirms its support for Egypt’s position calling for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the prevention of the forced displacement of its residents while emphasizing the importance of accelerating full Palestinian reconciliation. China considers its position consistent with Egypt and President “El-Sisi,” which contributes to strengthening stability and peace in the Middle East. China recognizes the important role played by Egypt in resolving the Palestinian issue, which encourages regional and international cooperation. Here, the positions of China and Malaysia can contribute positively to peace efforts in Gaza by supporting regional and international initiatives, particularly Egyptian peace efforts, by emphasizing Palestinian rights, promoting reconciliation between the various Palestinian factions, and reaching an immediate ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Beijing also supported the efforts of Egypt and Arab countries to reject the displacement of Gaza residents while emphasizing the right of the people of the Strip to a decent life, security, and stability, especially after the war that resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and injuries within the besieged Strip. With China officially supporting Egypt’s efforts and leadership in hosting the Arab Summit under the leadership of President “El’Sisi”, and Cairo’s success in hosting Arab leaders and their approval of Egypt’s plan under the auspices of President “Abdel Fattah El-Sisi”, which reflects Cairo’s role in supporting the Palestinian cause for several decades, China’s support for the pro-Palestinian position also came with an affirmation of China’s position in support of the principles of justice and fairness, working side by side with Arab and Islamic countries to achieve a ceasefire and end the violence, exerting every effort to protect the lives of civilians, and accelerating the achievement of a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. With China’s rejection, in February 2025, of US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace the population of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after transferring the Palestinians to other locations, China officially confirmed, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its agreement with Egyptian President El-Sisi’s position in opposing the forced displacement of the population of the Strip. When asked about Trump’s views on the forced displacement of Palestinians at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman “Lin Jian” said, “China has always stressed that it supports the Palestinians’ right to govern Gaza after the war, and we oppose the forced displacement of Gaza resident”s.
As an Egyptian expert on Chinese politics, we find that China’s position has been consistent since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023, as Beijing sent humanitarian aid to Gaza and held an emergency meeting in the UN Security Council and all international forums to call for a ceasefire and find a solution to the current crisis in the Gaza Strip. China also made important contributions to reuniting the Palestinian house in what is known as the Beijing Agreement by holding dialogues inside Chinese territory between the various Palestinian factions to unify their ranks and reject their differences. The Beijing Agreement was signed in July 2024, with the attendance of all Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Jihad Movement, which the United States classifies as a terrorist group, which provoked both Israel and the United States.
Accordingly, China has categorically rejected US President Trump’s decisions since his first term in office, demonstrating strong support for Israel and pursuing a series of pro-Israel policies, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, promoting the “Deal of the Century,” and other measures that have granted Israel strategic advantages at the expense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also officially announced in March 2025 China’s support for the plan to restore peace and rebuild the Gaza Strip, proposed by Egypt and its president, El-Sisi. This announcement came during a press conference held by Chinese Foreign Minister “Wang Yi” during his attendance at the annual session of the National Legislative Assembly. Wang emphasized that “Gaza is a land belonging to the Palestinian people and is an integral part of the Palestinian territories,” while emphasizing that “forcibly changing the status of Gaza will not bring peace but will cause new chaos.”
The official public discourse within China has been fully supportive of Palestinian rights and critical of the unfair American and Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. This is despite the fact that official Chinese discourse contributes to directing and shaping public opinion within China due to the lack of alternative domestic media. China has only official media, and foreign and Western media outlets and pages are blocked from browsing within China. Following Operation Protective Edge on October 7, 2023, China found itself facing its preferred model of international politics, based on demonstrating a contrast with the American position, presenting itself as a leader of the Global South, and emphasizing the importance of South-South dialogue to find solutions to all existing humanitarian problems, in accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s principle of “a shared future for mankind” and mutual benefit for all. To this end, China called for an “International Peace Conference” to resolve the Palestinian issue and requested solidarity from developing countries in the Global South, given the sympathy of many countries in the Global South for Palestine. Therefore, the call for a peace conference is an issue China can use to mobilize support for its leadership of the Global South, a goal China aspires to.
Hence, China’s extensive support for the Palestinians and the developing world, including Egypt, in support of Palestinian rights. In light of the extensive support Washington has provided to Israel at the military, political, and diplomatic levels, China has sought to present itself as a leader of global civilizational dialogue. In accordance with the philosophy of President “Xi Jinping, in his official statements and positions, China has focused on calling on both sides to exercise restraint and affirming the principle of a two-state solution as an alternative to the conflict. Beijing has also criticized the comprehensive Israeli bombardment of civilians and condemned violations of international law. In most of its comments on the confrontation in Gaza, it has called for the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” to allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. China has also agreed with all of Egyptian President El-Sisi’s calls to reject the displacement of Gaza’s residents and the evacuation of the Strip at the expense of its indigenous population.
