Israel-Hamas conflict risks spiraling out of control

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the crisis in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 14. (Source: AP, THX)

According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on October 14, the phone call was made at the request of the US. Secretary of State Blinken briefed him on his visit to the Middle East and shared Washington's stance on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Reiterating that China opposes any actions that harm civilians and condemns any violations of international law, Foreign Minister Wang Yi asserted that protecting a country's security cannot be done by harming innocent civilians.

“There is no way out by military means and using violence to counter violence will only create a vicious circle,” China's top diplomat stressed.

Warning that the conflict “is escalating and risks spiraling out of control”, Beijing called for “an international peace conference to be convened as soon as possible to promote the reaching of a broad consensus”.

According to the announcement, the two Foreign Ministers also mentioned the US-China relationship, which Mr. Wang Yi said was showing signs of stability.

Meanwhile, according to AFP, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary of State Blinken is visiting Saudi Arabia and had a "productive" hour-long phone call with his Chinese counterpart.

Here, Mr. Blinken called on China to use its influence in the Middle East to urge all parties to exercise restraint, emphasizing that preventing the spread of conflict is in the common interest of the international community.

The phone call between the two foreign ministers took place a week after the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7. According to the latest information from both sides, the conflict has killed a total of more than 3,500 people, including 2,215 Palestinians and more than 1,300 Israelis.

Source