China says Wang Yi urged Israel's Herzog to halt settlements and open Gaza access

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Baku, Azerbaijan. Al Jazeera and CGTN report that the meeting took place on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

All available accounts of the meeting come from the Chinese government. Al Jazeera and Reuters cite a Chinese foreign ministry statement. CGTN is Chinese state media.

According to China's account, Wang urged Israel to stop and reverse settlement activity in the West Bank. Al Jazeera and Reuters say the statement refers to the "forced establishment" of settlements.

According to the same account, Wang:

• described the Palestinian question as the greatest historical injustice of this century;
• said the two-state solution is the right path to resolving it;
• called for access to the Gaza Strip to be fully opened. Al Jazeera reports that he warned of a spreading humanitarian "catastrophe";
• said China is willing to work with the international community to bring all parties back to dialogue and seek a political settlement.

CGTN dates the meeting to Thursday, 15 October 2026. Al Jazeera and Reuters say the foreign ministry statement was issued on Friday.

According to Xinhua, as cited by Al Jazeera, Wang attended the summit as President Xi Jinping's special representative.

CGTN also reported that Wang said China and Israel have maintained stable relations over three decades. According to CGTN, he said China is willing to use next year's 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations to deepen cooperation. CGTN also reported that Wang said both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in peace and to establish independent states.

What each side says

China: According to its foreign ministry, Israel should stop and reverse West Bank settlements and fully open access to Gaza. China says it is ready to help return all parties to dialogue.

Israel: Herzog's remarks are known only through CGTN. According to CGTN, Herzog said Israel firmly adheres to the one-China policy. He said Israel hopes to advance ties with China in science and technology, investment and people-to-people exchanges. CGTN reported that he said Israel hopes for peace but faces national security threats that require a strong response. He said Israel values China's proposals and is willing to keep communicating with Beijing.

What is not known

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an Israeli government or presidential office account of the meeting. They do not describe any Israeli response to Wang's remarks on settlements or Gaza. They do not include the full text of the Chinese statement. They do not say whether other topics, such as Iran, were discussed.

Background

According to Al Jazeera, Xi visited Cairo in September, his first visit in a decade. During that visit he called on Middle East countries to oppose external influence. In March, China criticised US and Israeli attacks on Iran, according to a foreign ministry statement cited by Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera also cited a US congressional commission as saying that China was Iran's largest trading partner.

Analysis

The meeting shows China raising its positions on the Palestinian question directly with Israel's head of state. It also signals that Beijing wants to keep bilateral ties with Israel stable. Readers should note that all accounts come from Chinese official sources. How Israel describes the exchange may differ in emphasis or substance. Several outcomes are possible. Israel could publish its own readout. It could respond to the settlement and Gaza remarks or choose not to. China could also turn its offer to support dialogue into concrete steps. None of these outcomes is indicated in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.