China greets Israeli prime minister in Beijing

Chinese leaders welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Beijing on Wednesday as China tries to bring its growing international influence to an area where it has had little impact - the Middle East peace process.

Greeting the Israeli leader at the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made no direct mention of his meeting two days earlier with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads his people's efforts to achieve statehood. Talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the statehood issue have been deadlocked for four years, despite pressure on Jerusalem from the United States, Russia and the European Union, long the major players in Middle East diplomacy.

"I'm ready to exchange views with you today on how to strengthen our bilateral relationship, how to enhance our bilateral cooperation and also on regional issues such as the question of Palestine and the Middle East process," Li told Netanyahu before the two sat down to talks on the peace process and other regional issues.