By Simon Lewis and Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to burnish his country's credentials as a global peacemaker at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, calling for a cessation of fighting in the Middle East and touting Beijing's diplomatic efforts on Russia's war in Ukraine.
Wang spoke after Israel killed the leader of Iran-aligned Hezbollah with a massive airstrike in Beirut on Friday, raising fears of a wider regional war in addition to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza that began nearly a year ago.
"The question of Palestine is the biggest wound to human conscience. As we speak, the conflict in Gaza is still going on, causing more casualties with each passing day. Fighting has started in Lebanon again, but might cannot replace justice," Wang said.
"There must not be any delay in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, and the fundamental way out lies in the two-state solution."
The world's second largest economy, China has recently stepped up its involvement in various crises, seeking to rival Washington's traditional role as a global mediator.
In July, it hosted talks between Palestinian rivals including Hamas and Fatah in Beijing. President Xi Jinping helped broker a March 2023 deal to end a diplomatic rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran, leaving the U.S. on the sidelines.
"Peace is the most precious thing in our world today," Wang said at the U.N. "For the sake of peace, a single ray of hope is reason enough not to give up. The slightest chance deserves a hundredfold effort."
UKRAINE PEACE PLAN
Beijing's most significant peace effort is a proposal for talks to end the war in Ukraine.
With Russia's invasion in its third year, the two sides to the conflict remain far apart on any future path to peace.
China, along with Brazil, has proposed new talks involving Kyiv and Moscow and this week gathered Global South countries behind that plan.
At the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed China and Brazil's efforts, questioning why they were proposing an alternative to his own peace formula and warning: "You will not boost your power at Ukraine's expense."
"China is committed to playing a constructive role, engaging in shuttle mediation and promoting talks for peace, not throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains," Wang said.
Later on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the U.N. he wanted to know concretely how China and Brazil's initiative will work toward peace, and said it is important their proposals are "underpinned by the realities" of the conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that China promoting its peace efforts on Ukraine while also helping Moscow to produce missiles, rockets, armored vehicles and munitions "doesn't add up."
Despite the global peace efforts, China is locked in maritime disputes with some of its neighbors, who fear an increasingly bold Beijing.
Xi has said China's "reunification" with Taiwan is inevitable, and China says it alone exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait, part of the South China Sea.
Both the U.S. and Taiwan say the strait - a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass - is an international waterway.
"The complete reunification of China will be achieved," Wang told the assembly. "Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland."