On 16 October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Israel to halt settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and reverse course, with particular reference to what China's foreign ministry characterised as territory absorbed through coercion rather than consent.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting held in Azerbaijan with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, at which bilateral ties and the broader situation across the Middle East were addressed.

Beijing's position, as conveyed by Wang, held that the Palestinian issue represented the gravest injustice of the current century. Wang reaffirmed the two-state framework for resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians as a core Chinese policy stance. He also argued that unrestricted entry into the Gaza Strip was needed to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating further, and indicated that Beijing stood ready to partner with the broader international community in steering the conflict toward dialogue and an eventual political resolution.

Israeli military control over the West Bank dates to the armed conflict of 1967. Both the United Nations and the International Court of Justice classify those settlements as violations of international law, a determination the Israeli government contests. Palestinian leaders have consistently maintained that ongoing construction on disputed territory reduces the land base that any future independent state would require to function as a coherent political entity.

Beijing has on multiple occasions pressed for an end to settlement expansion in occupied Palestinian territories and for measures to bring attacks by settlers under control. At a UN Security Council session held in September, China's delegation put forward the position that expanding settlements and taking steps that alter either the land or the population makeup of occupied Palestinian territory work against any realistic path toward Palestinian statehood. The body called on Israel to halt its settlement-building practices and put in place mechanisms to hold perpetrators of violence against Palestinians to account.

Wang indicated that a two-state framework represents the most viable avenue for bringing the conflict to a resolution. Under the plan, a Palestinian state would operate as a sovereign entity alongside Israel, separate and self-governing. Beijing's diplomatic appeals have pressed for a negotiated resolution to the conflict, alongside a long-standing position backing an independent Palestinian state along boundaries predating 1967, with East Jerusalem designated as its seat of government.

The talks took place at a point when China has been deepening its engagement in Middle Eastern diplomacy. Diplomatic ties connecting China to both Israel and a range of Arab nations have remained in place, with Beijing putting forward dialogue as the preferred path toward easing tensions across the region.

In a post on X, Herzog noted that his conversation with Wang covered both bilateral ties and developments in the Middle East. No response came from Herzog's office when reporters put questions about West Bank settlements and the Palestinian matter to its representatives.

Beijing's position, as set out in those remarks, adds another dimension to a long-running international debate over Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and the political status those territories should ultimately hold. Continued territorial expansion has drawn concern from various parties over whether a negotiated outcome remains achievable, keeping the question of a two-state arrangement at the centre of diplomatic efforts.