China hopes the upcoming visit by Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amer could further push forward bilateral relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in BeijingTuesday.

Abu Amer will pay an official visit to China from June 13 to 15 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

According to the spokesman, Abu Amer will hold talks with Yang on bilateral relations, Palestine-Israel situation and other issues of common concern.

China pays close attention to the Middle East issue and is especially upset about the tension between Palestine and Israel, Qin said.

We call for both sides to keep restraint, avoid any actions which may escalate the situation and return to political negotiation at an early date, he said.

China always advocates all parties to properly resolve their disputes through political negotiation and based on relevant UN resolutions and the "land for peace" principle, Qin said.

China is making constructive efforts to this end, he added.

Source: Xinhua