China supports the Palestinian people in their struggle to restore their legitimate national rights, said an official with the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing Wednesday.

Li Huaxin, deputy director-general of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, said at the UN Meeting for Asia and the Pacific on the issue of Palestine that, "the question of Palestine remains at the heart of the Middle East question".

Only through restoring the Palestinian people's legitimate national rights, including the founding of an independent Palestinian State, he noted, could an all-round, just and lasting peace in the Middle East region be achieved.

The Chinese government has provided support and assistance to the Palestinian people at every stage of their struggle, and has responded positively to the efforts made by UN agencies, he said.

As a founding member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China had made unremitting efforts for the restoration of Palestinian people's legitimate national rights when the question is discussed in the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Since the outbreak of large-scale conflict between Israel and Palestine in 2000, Li added, China had not only worked actively to promote peace through diplomatic channels, but also provided humanitarian assistance to Palestine.

This year, China has once again increased its contributions to the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2003)