BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated China's support for an independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"The Chinese government supports an independent Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with full sovereignty and East Jerusalem as its capital," Wen said in a message to hail a meeting held in New York Thursday local time to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People.

"Palestine is at the core of the Middle East issue. The Chinese government has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain legitimate rights," said Wen.

China supports Palestine's membership in the United Nations and other international organizations, he added.

China is very much concerned about the situation in the Gaza Strip and condemns any action that has caused civilian casualties, Wen said.

The conflicts in Gaza manifest the prominence and urgency of the Palestinian issue, he said. China hopes that both Palestinians and Israel could take into consideration the overall situation, move toward the same goal and restore mutual trust so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks at an early date and for substantial progress in such talks.

Wen called on the international community to make bigger efforts to encourage Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and to help Palestinians enhance capacity building and constantly improve the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people.

To solve the Palestinian issue in a comprehensive and fair way at an early date is the common aspiration of the people in the region as well as the international community, Wen said.

China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, dedicates itself to the peace process in the Middle East and supports a bigger role of the United Nations on the Middle East issue.

China is willing to work with the international community and will play a constructive role in pushing for the comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue and for peace, stability and development of the Middle East region, he said.