China's foreign minister calls US secretary of state on crisis in Israel and Gaza

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by phone on Saturday on the crisis in Israel and Gaza, a statement from his ministry said.

"China calls for the convening of an international peace conference as soon as possible," the statement read, while warning that "the Palestinian-Israel conflict is escalating and risks getting out of control".

Wang told Blinken that "China opposes all acts that harm civilians and condemns practices that violate international law".

The two also touched on US-China relations, the statement said, which Wang said were showing signs of stabilising.

According to reports, on Sunday Wang said Israel's military actions in Gaza have gone "beyond the scope of self-defence". The top Chinese official also stated Israeli government must "cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza".

Wang Yi's remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with him, seeking Beijing's cooperation in preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from widening into a bigger war.