China Monday "strongly urged" Israel to end military operations in the Gaza Strip, where dozens have been killed in a new offensive.
Foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan pointed to the high number of civilian casualties among the 69 dead and called for a halt to the operation to stem rising tensions.
"We express our serious concern about the latest bloody clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, which have caused many civilian casualties among the Palestinians," Kong said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.
"We strongly urge Israel to stop its military operations in order to avoid further escalation in the tense situation in the region."
The Israeli army launched the operation in northern Gaza late Tuesday which escalated a day later after a Palestinian rocket attack killed two children in the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
The violence has been widely condemned and even Israeli ally the United States has expressed regret over the civilian casualties, calling for Israel to use only "proportional force."