China voted in favor of the draft resolution (S/2017/1060) that was just put to the vote.

The question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue and the main source of problem in the region. The issue of Jerusalem is particularly complicated and sensitive and is key to finding a solution to the Palestinian issue. For many years, a series of Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016), have included provisions regarding the status of Jerusalem.

The draft resolution submitted by Egypt is a continuation of the content and spirit of previous Security Council resolutions. We call upon the Security Council and the international community to remain united in a common effort to ensure a prompt de-escalation of tension regarding the situation of Jerusalem in order to maintain peace and security in the Middle East and to preserve the overall Middle East peace process.

China has always firmly supported and promoted the Middle East peace process. We support the just cause of the Palestinian people for restoring their legitimate national rights. We support the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent State of Palestine, based on its 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. That position of China will not change.

China will continue to be guided in general by the “four-point proposal” put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping this past July for the promotion of the settlement of the question of Palestine by advancing a political settlement based on the two-State solution and by promoting peace, stability and development in the Middle East. We urge the international community to respect the relevant Security Council resolutions, the land-for-peace principle and the Arab Peace Initiative, to strengthen efforts for the resumption of peace negotiations and to find a solution to the key issues, including the final status of Jerusalem, through dialogue and negotiation in order to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue at an early date.