Chinese foreign minister continues Middle East tour

The Chinese Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, has met the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, in Gaza as part of his tour of the Middle East.

Mr Qian described the meeting as very fruitful, and said he was in Gaza to support the Palestinians in what he described as their just struggle.

He also signed economic agreements giving more than two million dollars to the Palestinians.

Earlier, Mr Qian assured Israeli leaders in Jerusalem that China would do whatever it could to push forward the stalled Middle East peace process.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service