On December 17, 2005, the delegation headed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Qiao Zonghuai paid a visit to Palestine at the invitation of President Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). During his visit, Qiao met respectively with President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa. Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei was present at the meeting between Abbas and Qiao. Qiao laid a wreath before the tomb of former President Yasser Arafat.

Having Friendly Talks	Talking of Friendship

President Abbas and other top Palestinian officials extended a warm welcome to the Chinese delegation, speaking highly of the Palestine-China traditional friendship and the consistent support offered by the Chinese government to the Palestinian people and expressing appreciations to China for the long-term assistance to the Palestinian side. Abbas positively commented on the achievements made by China internally as well as China's foreign policies.

Laying a Wreath	Having a Kind Meeting

Qiao conveyed the cordial greetings and kind wishes of President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing to President Abbas and Foreign Minister Kidwa and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth of bilateral ties. Qiao stressed that China has been always supporting the Middle East peace process and will continue to provide assistance to the best of our ability. Both sides also held friendly talks over regional situation and other issues of common concern.

During his stay in Palestine, the Chinese delegation also met with the working staffs of the representative office of China in Palestine to know more about their working and living situation.