The Chinese Foreign Ministry declared its support on Wednesday for Egypt’s attempt to galvanize the Arab world into supporting a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, intended to prevent President Donald Trump from taking the territory over.
Much of Gaza is currently uninhabitable as a result of two decades of being under the control of the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas. Following Hamas’s brutal invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, the country declared war on the group and attacked Gaza, seeking to destroy its terrorist infrastructure in the strip. As a result, much of Gaza requires significant reconstruction, a task finding few eager takers given that Hamas is still in control of much of the area.
President Trump shocked the world in February by announcing a plan to “take over” Gaza, help the civilians trapped their find refuge somewhere else, and rebuild the territory from the ground up.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll love it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site,” Trump said, “and get rid of the destroyed buildings [and] create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing.”
Trump subsequently published a video on social media, apparently generated by artificial intelligence, showing a gold-plated and prosperous Gaza governed by him.
Trump’s plan would require neighboring countries, including Egypt and Jordan, to take in Palestinian refugees. Both countries have adamantly refused to open their doors to Palestinians while claiming to be vocal champions of their cause.
Egypt hosted a pan-Arab emergency summit on March 4 to discuss an alternative plan to the United States leveling and rebuilding Gaza. Cairo calculated that the plan would require $53 billion and could be done without Egypt having to take in any Palestinian refugees by forcing Palestinians into temporary housing within Gaza and rebuilding piece by piece.
The Chinese government, which has tried and failed to emerge as a relevant actor in the Middle East, endorsed Egypt’s planning on Wednesday.
“China supports the effort by Egypt and other Arab countries to promote the continuous and effective implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, advance humanitarian assistance and restore security and stability there,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters during a regular briefing. “We support a post-conflict governance plan in Gaza that is recognized by the Palestinian people and embodies the consensus of Arab countries.”
“The plan must follow the principle of ‘Palestinians governing Palestine’ and align with the two-State solution so that Palestine and Israel will live side by side peacefully and there will be lasting peace in the Middle East,” Lin concluded.
The plan proposed by Egypt this way is broken up into three phases costing $3 billion, $20 billion, and $30 billion each. Cairo has suggested the money come from the United Nations, which is primarily funded by America, and “foreign direct investment” from the “private sector.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in its supportive remarks on Wednesday, did not suggest that it would be among the financial backers for the project.
To oversee this reconstruction, Egypt has proposed replacing Hamas with a technocratic leadership committee composed of various individuals pre-approved by the pan-Arab coalition and, presumably, Hamas.
Among the plans for reconstruction of Gaza in the Egyptian deal, according to the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram, are “building smart buildings that utilize renewable energy and modern technology,” “achieving a cultural and educational renaissance that ensures sustainable development in Palestinian society,” and “resorts, parks, beaches, and recreational facilities near the Mediterranean coast.”
The plan did not explicitly address the threat of Hamas or how to address the copious amounts of weapons, explosives, and other terror supplies Hamas has hidden throughout civilian sites in Gaza, including schools and hospitals. Nonetheless, the participants in the emergency summit this week unanimously approved the plan. The approval did not commit any of the parties to funding or overseeing the implementation of the plan.
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty insisted Wednesday that the plan was possible and could be completed within five years without requiring any neighboring countries to shelter Palestinians.
The American National Security Council responded to the Egyptian plan with skepticism. Spokesman Brian Hughes observed that the plan “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance.” He reiterated that Trump “stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas.”
Unnamed “sources” told Reuters on Thursday that Washington is in contact with Cairo on the matter and the two sides held a conversation on Wednesday following the summit. The sources described the conversation as “positive” and discussing both reconstruction and the ongoing attempts to impose a complete ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
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