By REUTERS
BEIJING - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's envoy to China said on Friday that Beijing backs their United Nations membership bid, a day after France indicated it would support a diplomatic upgrade for Palestine.Bassam al-Salhi, in China on a three-day trip to discuss tensions in Gaza, echoed earlier calls from China's Foreign Ministry that Beijing would support Palestinian statehood and its entry into the United Nations."They (China) support the Palestinian right for ending occupation and building a Palestinian state ..and support the bid of the Palestinian membership in the United Nations," Salhi told Reuters in an interview after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.China's official Xinhua new agency quoted Yang as saying China "supports Palestine's entry into the United Nations and other international organizations and understands, respects and backs Palestine's bid for the UN observer status".
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