China will try to stay aligned with Arab countries while improving ties with Israel as it challenges a US proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, a balancing act that could position China as a more influential player, experts have said.

China has been vocal against US President Donald Trump's post-war plan for Gaza, which includes the removal of its Palestinian residents.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the UN Security Council last week that Gaza was not a political "bargaining chip", and repeated China's commitment to a two-state solution.

China supports a two-state formula based on a United Nations resolution adopted in 1967 that the West Bank and Gaza should be governed by Palestinians.

As part of its support for the Palestinians, Beijing plans to send 60,000 food parcels to Gaza, with the first 12,000 already shipped. Meanwhile, Washington has announced a complete halt to its foreign aid, a move blocked temporarily by a US court order.

John Calabrese, director of the Middle East-Asia project at the US-based Middle East Institute think tank, said China had made its position clear despite Trump's strong influence in the region.

"China is likely to remain vocal on Gaza, reiterating its support for Palestinian rights and Gaza's status as an inalienable part of Palestinian territory. However, it will defer to Arab states, align with their initiatives, and offer support rather than taking a leading role," Calabrese said.

On Saturday, during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, Wang called for accelerated plans to rebuild and govern post-war Gaza while affirming China's continuous support for Palestinians to govern it through the two-state solution.

He had a similar message last week when he met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. During those talks, Wang reaffirmed China's commitment to "stand firmly with its Arab brothers" to "redress historical injustice".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Beijing remains committed to a two-state solution. 

Israel and Hamas have moved closer to ending the conflict, reaching a first-phase ceasefire last month. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Sunday that Washington expected the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal to go forward.

So far, however, China's involvement in the process has been limited, with only public support for a peace agreement, known as the Beijing Declaration, reached last July among 14 Palestinian factions, which outlines potential governance for post-war Gaza.

Calabrese said that under Trump's presidency, the US would be less willing to engage China in post-war negotiations.

"The Trump administration is unlikely to invite or welcome a larger Chinese role ... If a ceasefire were to advance to serious two-state negotiations with a potential UN Security Council role, some level of US-China cooperation might emerge - but that scenario remains distant," he said.

China, meanwhile, appears to be making progress in its relations with Israel, which have been strained since the war began in October 2023.

China has repeatedly lashed out at Israel over the alarming death toll from its military actions in Gaza.

But Wang met his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference earlier this, with Wang saying China was willing to improve ties with Israel. It was the first such meeting since the start of the war.

Saar called for Beijing to maintain a "balanced" foreign policy to the Middle East and impose more economic pressure on Iran.

Analysts said that repairing ties with Israel would be crucial for China in the coming years.

"In the future, China will repair or upgrade its engagement with Israel. I don't think we can simply say that China supports Palestine in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," said Fan Hongda, a professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University.

Fan added that Beijing had realised that Washington could start to "raise the profile of the Middle East", which would compel China to eliminate any animosity towards it in the region.

According to Calabrese, Beijing was following the Gulf region's ambiguity towards Israel to better balance its relations with those investment hubs.

"While Israel's Gaza campaign has strained its ties with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Chinese partners, those relationships remain intact - so Beijing sees little need to take a stronger stance than its Arab allies," Calabrese said.

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