Jakarta, Indonesia — The foreign ministers of China and Indonesia called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, condemning the humanitarian costs of the ongoing war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told journalists that the two countries share the same opinion on the importance of a ceasefire and resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution.
“I am sure that China would use its influence to prevent escalation,” Marsudi said, adding that China and Indonesia “would also fully support Palestine’s membership of the UN.”
The meeting took place on the second day of a six-day trip during which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also visit Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.
Wang blamed the United States for delaying UN ceasefire resolutions
“The conflict in Gaza has lasted half a year and has caused a rare humanitarian tragedy in the 21st century. The United Nations Security Council responded to the international community’s call and continued to review the draft resolution on the Gaza ceasefire, but it was repeatedly vetoed by the United States,” Wang told reporters.
The US vetoed a series of proposed Security Council resolutions because they did not link the ceasefire directly to the release of Israeli hostages or condemn the Hamas attacks that sparked the war, before allowing a resolution to be passed with abstention at the end of March.
American officials argued that the ceasefire and hostage release were linked, while Russia, China and many other council members were in favor of unconditional calls for a ceasefire.
“This time, the US did not dare to oppose international morality and chose to abstain. However, the US claimed that this resolution was not binding,” Wang said. “In the eyes of the United States, international law appears to be a tool that can be used whenever it finds it useful and discarded if it does not want to use it. .”
The two ministers also discussed their countries’ economic relationship and the South China Sea.
China is Indonesia’s largest trading partner, with trade volume reaching more than US$127 billion. China is also one of Indonesia’s largest foreign investors, with investment flows of more than US$7.4 billion in 2023.
Later on Thursday, Wang is also scheduled to meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who is currently defense minister.
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