Xi calls for Gaza cease-fire, release of civilians, at BRICS summit

NIKKEI ASIA

SHANGHAI/NEW DELHI -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged all parties in the Israel-Hamaswar to cease fighting and release captured civilians, and he proposed an international conference to promote alasting peace.

Xi spoke by video link to a summit hosted by South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chair ofthe BRICS group of nations -- which also includes Brazil, India and Russia.

"It is necessary to ensure the safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance and stop the collectivepunishment against the people of Gaza through forced eviction, as well as turning off water, electricity and oil,"Xi said.

China's latest push to assert itself as a peacemaker comes a day after a Saudi-led delegation of foreignministers from Muslim countries visited Beijing, urging Xi's government to play a greater role in ending theconflict.

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"[I] don't see China as a major player in the conflict and its resolution," said Guy Burton, a visiting fellow at Lancaster University in the U.K. Any cease-fire, Burton added, likely would be arranged through regional states including Qatar, which has ties with Hamas.

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