Q: Recently, Palestinian factions of Fatah, Hamas and Jihad announced conditional cease-fire against Israel. At the same time Israel began to withdraw troops from parts of the Gaza Strip. What’s your comment on it?

A: China welcomes and supports the positive steps taken by both Palestine and Israel, which will help break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. We hope that the two sides will continue their efforts, fulfil their commitments and further promote the peace talks.