China gravely concerned about Israel's planned ground assault in Rafah: spokesman

China is gravely concerned about Israel's plan to conduct ground assault in the Rafah region of Gaza, said Lin Jian, spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, at press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Lin made the remarks in response to a press query on Israeli military's statement saying that it would take action to control Rafah, and asking Palestinians to leave the region.

"China is gravely concerned about Israel's plan to launch ground military operations in Rafah, and strongly calls on Israel to heed the overwhelming calls of the international community, stop attacking the Rafah region, and make every effort to avoid a more serious humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip," Lin said.

"The conflict in Gaza has passed its 200-day mark, causing appalling humanitarian disasters, which is a test of human conscience. Wars and violence cannot fundamentally solve the problem and cannot bring real security. They will only intensify hatred. The international community must take action. The top priority is to effectively implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, immediately cease fire, ensure humanitarian relief, and bring the situation back to right track of a political settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the "two-state solution" as soon as possible," Lin continued.

China gravely concerned about Israel's planned ground assault in Rafah: spokesman

China gravely concerned about Israel's planned ground assault in Rafah: spokesman

The Central Asia Park was opened on Sunday in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an one year after the first China-Central Asia Summit, to showcase the strengthening of regional cooperation.

The park is located near the Xi'an International Exhibition Center, one of the venues for the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit. Sculptures of horses and camel caravans decorate the approximately 53-hectare park, symbolizing the prosperous exchanges over centuries and the beautiful vision of joint development between China and Central Asian countries.

The building at the main entrance of the park is called "Silk Road Meeting Room" and displays gifts from Central Asian countries, including traditional costumes from Kazakhstan and sculptures of "bow shooting" from Kyrgyzstan.

Visitors can buy specialties including snacks and honey from Central Asian countries in the park's shop.

Xi'an is a historical city founded about 3,100 years ago. Formerly known as Chang'an, it is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, which saw flourishing interactions between China and Central Asia.

The China-Central Asia Summit, held in the city in May 2023, was the first summit held offline by the leaders of the six countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian states 31 years ago.

Central Asia Park opens in northwest China, highlighting regional cooperation