China says Israel has gone too far

According to China's official news agency, the foreign minister of China indicated on Saturday that Israel's response to Hamas' incursion last week had gone too far.

Chinese Foreign

Minister Wang Yi stated that Israel's actions had gone beyond self-defense when speaking to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
China is interested in assisting in resolving the conflict and the underlying problems concerning the Palestinian community, according to Xinhua.
Although there were no exact quotes in the article, Xinhua reported on Wang's comments made over the phone: The urgent priority is to safeguard the safety of civilians, open humanitarian corridors for relief as soon as possible, and push for a ceasefire, he said, adding that China is in intensive touch with all parties to do so.
Beijing is attempting to garner favour with Arab nations and win their support for China's global agenda by exploiting the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Why it matters: The

Chinese government is attempting to undermine international protections for human rights and legitimise authoritarian practises.

According to Jonathan Fulton, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, "China is trying to promote alternative norms in global politics, and China sees Arab states as a natural constituency for China to try to attract."
"By appealing to Arab countries, they'll get more support for the reforms they want to push through in the international system," Fulton stated.
What's going on: While condemning the violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas