China welcomes implementation of prisoner-swap deal

China pledged support for international efforts to resume negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians at an early date. "It is a key period now for the peace process in the Middle East," China''s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a daily press briefing, adding China hopes that all parties concerned make coordinated efforts to remove barriers and create conditions for the resumption of the talks. During the briefing, Liu also welcomed the implementation of a prisoner-swap deal between the two sides. "We hope that the Israelis and the Palestinians will continue taking constructive measures to ease the situation, reduce disputes and resume the Israeli-Palestinian talks at an early date," he said.