Sun Bigan, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue called on Friday for dialogues between rival Palestinian factions to solve the current crisis in the territories.

Sun, who arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier in the day for a visit, made the call while meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during which the two exchanged views on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.

Conveying the cordial greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao, Sun emphasized the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

The Chinese people always support the just cause of the Palestinians and respect President Abbas and the Palestinian National Authority's legitimate status, Sun said.

Abbas, for his part, thanked China for its long-term support to the Palestinians and expressed hope to promote friendship and bilateral relations between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Abbas promised that the Palestinians would keep dialogues with Israelis to push forward the peace process.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2007)