China's foreign minister says admitting Palestinian state to UN is move to rectify injustice

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday said efforts to admit a Palestinian state into the United Nations were a move to rectify a prolonged injustice, state media Xinhua reported.

He made the comments at a joint press conference with his Papua New Guinea counterpart during a visit to country.

The United States on Thursday effectively stopped the UN from recognizing a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny Palestinians full membership of the world body.

"A prompt admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a prolonged historical injustice," Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu and Amy Lv; Editing by Toby Chopra)