BEIJING - China will host a symposium for Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates in Beijing from Dec 21 to 22, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Friday (Dec 15) during a regular press briefing.

The symposium will be attended by Mr Nabil Shaath, foreign affairs adviser to the Palestinian president, and Mr Hilik Bar, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, reported state news agency Xinhua.

Both men will lead delegations at the symposium, said Mr Lu.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also meet the participants.

The peace symposium was one of the initiatives that Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would set up during his meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in July.

Then, Mr Xi affirmed China's support for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue, and for the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The symposium aims to offer a communication platform for peace advocates from both Palestine and Israel, and provide new ideas to promote the peace process, said Mr Lu.