Foreign Minister calls for Palestine's admission as UN member

Admitting Palestine as a full member of the United Nations is a move to rectify long-standing historical injustices, as well as an obligation every UN member should fulfill, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

Wang made the remarks at a joint news conference with Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko after their meeting in Port Moresby.

The remarks came after Palestine's bid for full UN membership was vetoed by the United States on Thursday. The proposal, submitted by Algeria, received 12 votes in favour, with the US casting a negative vote and Switzerland and the United Kingdom abstaining.

Wang emphasized that the delay in Palestine's admission to the UN is not due to the lack of readiness but rather the prolonged absence of justice.

Palestine's full UN membership should not come from direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel, he said.

Recognizing Palestine as a formal UN member state is providing Palestine with equal negotiating conditions, which is a significant step towards the two-state solution, he added.

The international community is dissatisfied with and disappointed at the US unilateral veto, Wang said, adding that Washington once again stands against international morality and the international community, and made a disgraceful record in history.

He urged the US, who claims to support the two-state solution, to take concrete actions.

Also at the news conference, Wang expressed China's opposition to attempt to create bloc confrontation in the South Pacific region, saying that it is inconsistent with the urgent needs of Pacific Islands countries.

Pacific Island nations are the homes of their peoples, and should not be seen as the "backyard" of any major country, the foreign minister said.

Wang accused the US of piecing together a trilateral security partnership and introducing nuclear submarines into the region, saying the moves violate the purpose of the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty and pose serious risk of nuclear proliferation.