China Gets Trump's Invitation to Gaza Peace Council

JAKARTA - The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that his country received an invitation from the United States to join the Gaza Peace Council.

"China has received an invitation from the United States regarding the Gaza Peace Council," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a press conference in Beijing, Tuesday, January 20, reported by ANTARA.

US President Donald Trump previously asked countries to pay more than 1 billion US dollars (around Rp16.8 trillion) to obtain the right to a permanent seat on the Gaza Board of Peace.

But Guo Jiakun was reluctant to elaborate on whether China would accept the invitation and pay the $1 billion to sit on the Gaza Peace Council.

"China has received an invitation from the US, there is no more information I can add about this," said Guo Jiakun after being asked several times by reporters.

Trump announced the formation of the Gaza Peace Council, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and US Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.

Each member country will serve for a maximum of three years from the date of the charter, with the possibility of extension by the Chairman.

However, the three-year membership does not apply to member countries that contribute more than 1 billion US dollars in cash to the Peace Council in the first year since the charter came into force.

Trump himself will be the first chairman of the council and personally decide which countries will be invited.

Decisions will be taken by majority vote, but all decisions still require the approval of the chairman and Trump is also responsible for approving the group's official seal.

The formation of the Gaza Peace Council followed the approval by the UN Security Council in November 2025 of a resolution proposed by the US to support Trump's comprehensive plan for resolving the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The US plan for Gaza proposes a temporary international government in the region as well as the formation of a peace council led by Trump and the deployment of international stabilization forces.

The plan also includes a military mandate for international stabilization forces to be deployed in coordination with Israel and Egypt.

In addition to China, a number of countries also claimed to have received invitations from US President Donald Trump to join the "peace council" for Gaza.

The countries are Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Turkey, Jordan, and Morocco. The leaders of these countries admitted that Donald Trump sent them a letter.

The White House also announced the formation of a Gaza Executive Council to support governance and services, with members Foreign Minister of Turkey Hakan Fidan; Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

In addition, there is also former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Minister of State for International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Reem Al-Hashimy, veteran diplomat Qatar Ali Al-Thawadi and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, among others.

There is also the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) which is a "technocratic" committee to oversee the transition of power in the Gaza Strip, as part of US President Donald Trump's plan. The committee is headed by Dr. Ali Sha'ath, a former Palestinian deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority.

The various councils marked the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which focuses on demilitarization, technocratic government, and reconstruction.

The phase includes the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international stabilization forces, and the establishment of a Palestinian interim government in Gaza.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 since October 2023.

The Ministry of Health recorded at least 464 Palestinian citizens were killed and nearly 1,280 others were injured as a result of Israeli attacks since the ceasefire was imposed.