China, France release joint statement on situation in Middle East

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday issued a joint statement on the situation in the Middle East after exchanging in-depth views on the situation there.

At the invitation of Macron, Xi paid a state visit to France from on May 5 to 7.

In the statement, China and France, both the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, reaffirmed their commitment to seeking constructive solutions based on international law to address international security challenges and risks.

China and France condemn all violations of international humanitarian law, including all acts of terrorist violence and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. The two countries reaffirmed the absolute need to protect civilians in Gaza based on international humanitarian law. The heads of state of China and France oppose Israeli operation in Rafah, which will lead to a greater humanitarian disaster. They also oppose the forced relocation of the Palestinian civilians.

Emphasizing that achieving an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, ensuring the provision of large-scale humanitarian aid in Gaza and protecting the civilians as the pressing tasks, the heads of state of China and France called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the unimpeded humanitarian access, meeting the humanitarian needs of the civilians such as medical treatment and upholding international law regarding all the detainees

They also called for the immediate and effective implementation of relevant UN resolutions, especially the UN Security Council Resolutions 2712, 2720 and 2728. This is the only reliable way to guarantee peace and security for all, and to ensure that neither Palestinians nor Israelis will ever again experience the terrors that have occurred since the attack on Oct 7, 2023.

The heads of state of China and France called for effective opening of all necessary corridors and crossings for the rapid, safe, sustainable and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip. They stressed the importance of strengthening coordination of international humanitarian efforts.

The heads of state of China and France urged all parties to refrain from taking unilateral actions on the ground that could further escalate the tensions, and condemned Israel's policy on building settlements which is a violation of international law and a major obstacle to the realization of a viable two-State solution.

They reaffirmed that the future governance of Gaza cannot be cut from a comprehensive political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution.

The heads of state of China and France called for the decisive and irreversible resumption of the political process and the earnest implementation of the two-state solution for the establishment of a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the basis of the 1967 borders so as to ensure that Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace and security as neighbors with Jerusalem as their capitals.

The two leaders expressed support for the two-state solution, recognizing it as the only way towards lasting peace and security that Palestinians and Israelis are longing for.

The heads of state of China and France voiced concern over the risks of the escalating regional situation and called for a de-escalation of the situation. They called on parties concerned to exercise restraint.

The heads of state of China and France reiterated their support for political and diplomatic efforts to address the Iran nuclear issue. They noted that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in 2015 is an important achievement of multilateral diplomacy. They also expressed concern over the risks of the escalating situation, reaffirmed the importance of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the continued diplomatic efforts and reiterated their commitment to maintaining the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.

The heads of state of China and France emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, calling for an immediate end to attacks on civilian vessels in order to safeguard maritime security and global trade, and prevent the escalation of the regional tension as well as humanitarian and environmental risks.

The heads of state of China and France called for the parties concerned to observe the Olympic Truce during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, noting it is an opportunity for a lasting solution to the conflict.

The two sides also issued joint statements on biodiversity and maritime cooperation, artificial intelligence and global governance and agricultural cooperation.

China, France release joint statement on situation in Middle East

China, France release joint statement on situation in Middle East

The endangered Tibetan antelopes have started their annual mass migration after the first batch of 47 female Tibetan antelopes passed through the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Qinghai Province on May 7.

To protect the rare species that are under top-class state protection, the management team of Hoh Xil in the province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has set up the Wudaoliang protection station along the migration route. As of noon on Sunday, over 700 Tibetan antelopes had been spotted passing through the station.

The Tibetan antelope, known as the "fairies of the plateau", undertakes a migration from May to July each year. Female antelopes from the Sanjiangyuan region of Qinghai, parts of Qiangtang Terrane in Tibet, and the Arjin Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, would travel to the Zhuonai Lake in Hoh Xil to give birth before returning to their original habitats with their newborns.

"For Tibetan antelopes, we divide them into six species groups according to their geographical distribution. For example, Qinghai and Xinjiang have one group each. For Xizang (Tibet), there are three species groups in the east, central and west of the Qiangtang Terrane. And there is also one group in southern Qiangtang Terrane, which don't migrate," said Lian Xinming, researcher at the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

With an average altitude of over 4,600 meters, the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve is known as a "no-life zone" due to its thin air and low oxygen levels.

However, it is an important habitat for Tibetan antelopes, which can reach top speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour while running. Lian explained the reasons behind the antelopes' remarkable speed.

"I think one of the reasons why they run so fast is that they've got underfur. The warmth of its underfur is one of the characteristics of its ability to adapt to alpine cold and high altitudes. The diameter of its fur can be as thin as about one-seventh of our human hair on the temples. Secondly, its has been found in physiology that the hemoglobin of Tibetan antelope has a blood oxygen capacity that is more than 30 percent higher than that of other plain animals, which proves that the same number of red blood cells has stronger ability to carry oxygen. That should enable the Tibetan antelope to reach 70 or 80 kilometers per hour in a short time," Lian said.

After years of conservation efforts, the Tibetan antelope population in the Hoh Xil region has increased from less than 20,000 in the late 1980s to currently over 70,000.

Tibetan antelopes on migration journey to Hoh Xil Nature Reserve