BEIJING, April 21 (Reuters) - China is willing to work with African countries to address the spillover effects of the Middle East conflict, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday while meeting with Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo in Beijing, state media reported.

"The spillover effects of the Middle East conflict are affecting African countries, and China is willing to work with local (countries) to respond together, promote peace together, and pursue development together," Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

American logistics giant FedEx has been targeted in France by a legal complaint alleging "complicity in the crime of genocide" over claims it transported parts for Israeli aircraft involved in bombing Gaza.

The French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP), an anti-Zionist group, said it had filed the complaint against FedEx's French subsidiary for "the transport and delivery of essential combat aircraft components from the United States to Israel via France".

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT, April 21 (Reuters) - Pope Leo paid respects on Tuesday to his predecessor Francis on the anniversary of his death last year, remembering the first pontiff from the Americas as someone who gave the 1.4-billion-member Church "so much with his words and his witness."

Over his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis "promoted an authentic respect for all men and women... that we are all brothers and sisters," Leo said in comments aboard his flight to Equatorial Guinea for the final leg of his four-nation Africa tour.

The Palestinian Authority said Israeli settler gunfire killed two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, on Tuesday in the central occupied West Bank, while the Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.

An AFP photographer saw the bodies at the morgue of the hospital in Ramallah where they were taken soon after the incident.

"Two martyrs were killed by settler gunfire in Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah... and three others were injured," the Palestinian health ministry said, confirming the deaths previously reported by the Red Crescent.

Iran said on Wednesday it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade remained in place, calling it a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire between the longtime foes.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards meanwhile said their naval forces had seized two container ships trying to cross the strategic strait.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Islamic republic was appreciative of Pakistan's efforts to end the Middle East war but did not comment on a ceasefire extension announced by the United States.

By Joe Cash

BEIJING, April 21 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday implied energy assistance for the Philippines could be tied to Manila holding military drills with the U.S. and other allies, as its top newspaper showed Beijing's readiness to leverage its reserves in diplomatic disputes.

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Oil prices fall -

Oil prices fell and stocks were mixed Wednesday as investors assessed the chances of US-Iran peace talks after US President Donald Trump extended his ceasefire but kept his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in place.

Both main oil contracts -- West Texas Intermediate and Brent North Sea -- dropped, having risen around three percent Tuesday.

- Iran cargo ship targeted -

ATHENS, April 21 (Reuters) - Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS has warned.

The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed before war broke out in the Middle East.

April 21 (Reuters) - Representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" have held talks with state-owned Dubai multinational DP World about managing supply chains and infrastructure projects in Gaza, the Financial Times said on Tuesday.

Rehabilitation of Gaza, where two years of Israeli bombardment have destroyed four-fifths of buildings, has been projected by global institutions to cost around $70 billion.

By Steve Holland, Enas Alashray and Mubasher Bukhari

WASHINGTON/CAIRO/ISLAMABAD, April 21 (Reuters) - The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire approached.