BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's role in the Middle East is active and fair and is promoting peace and dialogue, said China's special envoy to the Middle East, Sun Bigan.

Sun made the remarks at a press briefing on Friday afternoon following the conclusion of a tour of the Middle East that lasted from April 9 to 18.

During the tour, he visited Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Israel, and stopped by the EU headquarters.

Sun said China inaugurated diplomatic ties with Arab countries in the 1950s and has always supported the Palestinian people's wish to restore their legitimate rights. China's relations with Israel have also developed smoothly, he said.

A peaceful Middle East is in the interest of all sides including China, he said.

Sun also refuted claims that China's interests in the Middle East were based around energy.

"China became a net oil importer in 1993 but China started diplomatic relations with Arab countries in the 1950s. When China supported Arab countries to fight for their national rights, China was an oil exporter," he said.

Sun stressed that China was always in favor of solving the Palestinian-Israeli dispute through diplomatic talks on the basis of UN resolutions and the principle of "land for peace" in order to realize the peaceful co-existence of the two countries and peoples.