China to continue to work for peace, development in Middle East

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu (2nd R) speaks during the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defense in Ottawa, Canada, on March 4, 2020. China has been committed to contributing to peace, security, and development in the Middle East, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu said here Wednesday. [Photo by Li Baodong/Xinhua]

OTTAWA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China has been committed to contributing to peace, security, and development in the Middle East, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu said here Wednesday.

China has made positive contributions to maintaining peace and security in the Middle East according to the UN resolutions and desires of countries in the region, Cong told Xinhua on the sidelines of the two-day Ottawa Conference on Security and Defense which began on Wednesday.

"We facilitate peace and dialogue among parties and play a positive and constructive role for the settlement of regional hotspot issues including those related to Palestine, Syria, Iran and South Sudan," the envoy said.

China, as the second largest contributor to the UN budget, has so far dispatched over 1,800 peacekeepers to the Middle East. China has also conducted escort missions in the Gulf of Aden for over a decade, making important contributions to safeguarding security in the region, Cong said.

Last year, China hosted the first Middle East Security Forum with Middle East countries in Beijing, calling on countries to reject the old-fashioned Cold-War mentality and put in place a new security mechanism that underpins common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

China has provided some 2 billion yuan (about 287 million U.S. dollars) in aid for regional countries including Palestine and Syria, said the diplomat.

"China will firmly build peace, facilitate stability and contribute to development in the Middle East," Cong said.

The Ottawa conference gathered more than 400 representatives from 20 countries, including Canadian Armed Forces Chief of Defense Staff Jonathan Vance, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command head Philip Davidson and U.S. Defence Under Secretary Ellen Lord.