China supports Palestine’s full UN membership bid — FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said his country supports Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.

The UN Security Council will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution for Palestine to become a full UN member.

The resolution requires nine votes in favour to pass with a condition that none of the five permanent members - the US, the UK, France, Russia and China - votes against.

Maltese Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, who holds the UN Security Council's rotating presidency for April, has said that the council has been unable to reach a consensus on the issue.

"However, the majority were very clearly in favour to move on with membership," during a closed-door meeting, said.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has caused a humanitarian disaster," state-run Global Times quoted Wang as saying.

He called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire and the swift establishment of a humanitarian aid mechanism to prevent further escalation.

What does full membership mean?

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the 193-member UN General Assembly in 2012.

Securing full membership would signify the recognition of Palestinian statehood. About 72 percent of the UN member states already recognise Palestine.

The Palestinian application for full UN membership came amid a deadly Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has killed nearly 33,900 people since an October 7 Hamas attack, which claimed 1,200 lives.

The Israeli war has pushed 85 percent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while over 60 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.