Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a peace conference on the war between Israel and Hamas, addressing Arab leaders and diplomats at a forum in Beijing.
China is hosting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and several other Arab leaders this week for a forum that was expected to discuss the war in Gaza.
Xi said China supports a "comprehensive" peace conference to resolve the conflict.
"The Middle East is a land endowed with broad prospects for development, but war is still raging there," Xi said.
"War should not go on forever. Justice should not be absent forever," he added.
Xi also said that China "supports Palestine's full membership in the United Nations and supports the holding of a more comprehensive, authoritative and effective international peace conference."
China, which has good relations with Israel, has for decades advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In his meeting with Egyptian President Sisi on Wednesday, Xi said he was "deeply saddened" by the "extremely dire" situation in Gaza, where the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry said 36,171 people, mostly civilians, had died.
"The most important priority task at the moment is an immediate ceasefire to avoid the escalation of the conflict, the impact on regional peace and stability and ... to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis," Xi said.
He also said China is ready to work with Egypt, which neighbors Gaza and Israel, to "press for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue."
In recent years, China has sought to build closer ties with Arab countries. Last year, he brokered an agreement between Saudi Arabia and its longtime enemy Iran.
Last month, China also hosted rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah for "in-depth and frank talks to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation".
Analysts say China is trying to use the war in Gaza to strengthen its position in the region, contrasting its efforts to end that conflict with alleged US inaction.
"Beijing sees the ongoing conflict as a golden opportunity to criticize the West's double standards on the international stage and call for an alternative world order," Camille Lons, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.
Xi hailed his "deep sense of closeness" with the Arab world.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was among a host of regional leaders and diplomats attending the forum this week.
Xi said China will seek to deepen cooperation with the region in the field of energy.
"China will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation with the Arab country in the field of oil and gas, and integrate supply security with market security," he said.
"China is ready to work with the Arab country in the field of research and development in the field of new energy technology and equipment manufacturing," he added. /BGNES
