China supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and with full sovereignty, Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Wu Sike said in Cairo Sunday.

Wu, currently on a visit to Egypt, the third leg of his Middle East and European tour, said China supports handling the Palestinian issue on the basis of a two-state solution.

The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and with full sovereignty is not only the expectations of the Palestinian people, but also is conducive to regional and world peace and stability, the special envoy told reporters after talks with Arab League (AL) Secretary General Nabil el-Arabi at the AL's headquarters Sunday.

China will keep close coordination and cooperation with the AL in this respect, he added.

The two sides discussed about the efforts of Arab countries and the Palestinian side to break the standoff of negotiations in solving the Palestinian issue. China appreciated and supported the efforts, Sun said.

The United Nations (UN) must shoulder important responsibilities and play an important role in the Middle East peace process, he said.

The Palestinian side is planning to request the UN to recognize it as an independent state in September. Head of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that the UN recognition would lead to an end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wu also said in an interview with Xinhua that to seek UN recognition cannot replace the negotiations, which is the fundamental way leading to the solution to the Palestinian issue.

Before arriving in Cairo Friday, Wu visited Palestine and Israel. He will also visit France during his tour.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2011)