Written by by Sylvie Zhuang at scmp.com
“We were hoping for stronger condemnation and clear acknowledgment of Israel’s right to defend itself,” said Yuval Waks, the deputy chief of the Israeli mission in China told a press briefing on Monday when asked what response the embassy had hoped for.
“Unfortunately, we did not see that, which is why we were unhappy with the statement [from the Chinese foreign ministry],” said Waks.
The statement, which Israel said was “not as strong as expected”, also urged unnamed “influential countries” to play a constructive role.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry on Monday said China’s special envoy for Middle East affairs Zhai Jun had met Irit Ben-Abba, the Israeli ambassador. The statement said Zhai called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but did not comment on Israel’s concerns.
Waks also said the embassy had contacted Chinese officials in Beijing and conveyed Israel’s concerns following the attacks on Saturday.
He said “we are aware of the good bilateral relations between China and Iran, but we feel the need to express our grave concerns to the Chinese regarding Iran’s negative role in our region and its support of terror groups”.
He also urged China to tell Hamas the hostages still being held after the October 7 attack “should be set free right now”.