BEIJING — President Xi reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promised more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday at Beijing.

“Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated drastically, throwing people into tremendous suffering,” Mr. Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. “War should not continue indefinitely.”

He called for an international peace conference for resolving the Israel-Hamas war and pledged $69 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza. He also promised to donate $3 million to a United Nations agency that provides assistance and relief to refugees of the Israel-Hamas war.

Communist China has long backed the Palestinian Arab cause and denounced Israel over its settlements in the West Bank. It has not criticized the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.

Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who spoke at the opening ceremony, praised China for supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

“I call on all active actors of the international community to assume their moral and legal responsibilities to stop the outrageous Israeli war,” Mr. el-Sissi said.

Besides addressing the war, the Communist Party boss also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care.

The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was established in 2004 as a formal dialogue mechanism between China and Arab states.

Besides China’s expansive trade ties in the Middle East, it has increasingly sought to play a diplomatic role in the region.

In 2023, Beijing helped broker an agreement that saw Saudi Arabia and Iran reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of tension in a role previously reserved for longtime global heavyweights like America and Russia.