China's special envoy on the Middle East issue Sun Bigan is to visit Egypt, Palestine and Israel recently to promote the alleviation of tense in the Gaza Strip.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the announcement on Saturday. He voiced the Chinese government's severe concern over the escalating conflict in Gaza, adding China had made unremitting efforts to resolve the conflict.

Sun had kept close contact with the parties involved in recent days, and met with ambassadors from Arabian countries earlier this week, respectively. He called on parties concerned in the conflict to exercise restraint, cease military action and armed conflict and create conditions for peaceful talks and political settlement.

In a joint interview on the Gaza situation on Thursday, Sun urged an early resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks to pursue a just, proper and lasting solution to the Middle East issue.

He said that military force could only bring more hostility and enmity, without giving either side absolute safety. The international society and relevant parties, when endeavoring to ease the tense situation, should also consider carrying out feasible actions to accelerate the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, to establish an independent Palestinian state at an early date, and to realize peaceful coexistence.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)