China's new special envoy on the Middle East issue Wu Sike said in Cairo on Sunday that China is willing to push forward the peace process with all the parties concerned under new circumstances in the region.

"The Chinese government and its people are very concerned about the situation of the Middle East, which has witnessed positive developments recently," Wu said during his talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu Gheit.

"China, together with the parties concerned and the international community, is willing to push forward the Middle East peace process under the current new circumstances," he added.

"Negotiation is the only and the best way to solve the conflicts in the region and China will support all the efforts in this regard," he said.

For his part, Abu Gheit said that Egypt appreciates China's efforts in facilitating the peace process, hoping that the Chinese government, along with the special envoy, would play a bigger role on the issue.

Earlier in the day, Wu also met with the Cairo-based Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Wu, former Chinese ambassador to Egypt, was appointed as the special envoy in March this year to replace Sun Bigan.

He has been director of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and also the first Chinese plenipotentiary to the Arab League.

Egypt is the first stop of Wu's regional trip which will also take him to the Palestinian territories, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Russia.

(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2009)