China will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as well as a number of other Arab leaders in Beijing this week, its foreign ministry said Monday, according to AFP . The leaders will from Tuesday to Saturday "pay state visits to China and attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum", foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. Also among the delegation will be Bahrain's King Hamad, Tunisian President Kais Saied and the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li said President Xi Jinping would attend the forum and deliver a keynote address on Thursday. The forum would aim to deepen "consensus between China and Arab countries", Deng said, and would be co-chaired by top diplomat Wang Yi and his Mauritanian counterpart. They leaders plan to "issue a common voice between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue", he said. China has sought to build closer ties with Arab states in recent years, and has also sought to serve as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, even as it has also expressed support for a two-state solution. Related articles: Muslims forced to film themselves eating during Ramadan US sanctions Chinese entities over Iranian drone procurement China hits back at tariffs, launches Google investigation Trump signs order imposing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China In 2013, China presented a four-point proposal for a solution to the Israel-PA conflict. The Chinese proposal focused on an independent Palestinian state, negotiations as the only way to peace, the principle of "land for peace", and on guarantees the international community should provide for the progress of the peace process. More recently, China hosted unity talks between Hamas and its rival Fatah, which have been at odds since 2007, when Hamas violently took control of Gaza in a bloody coup.
