Promote the spirit of China Arab friendship and build a higher level of China Arab community with a shared future

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China Arab Cooperation Forum. Since the first China Arab Summit, political mutual trust between China and Arab countries has continuously deepened, pragmatic cooperation has flourished, cultural exchanges have been rich and colorful, and cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results. Taking the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China Arab Cooperation Forum as an opportunity, both China and Arab countries will continue to promote the spirit of China Arab friendship, continuously enrich and deepen the comprehensive, multi-level, and wide-ranging cooperation pattern between China and Arab countries, and gather strength to build a higher-level community with a shared future between China and Arab countries.

"China is a trusted friend and partner of Arab countries"

   

China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships or strategic partnerships with 14 Arab countries and the Arab League. The Arab League is the first regional organization to jointly launch a data security cooperation initiative with China, the first to issue a joint statement on implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, and the first to sign a cooperation document on building a think tank alliance. Within the framework of the China Arab Cooperation Forum, 19 mechanisms covering various fields have been established, and a total of 85 outcome documents have been released, becoming an effective means to promote pragmatic cooperation between China and Arab countries. Spokesperson of the Secretary General of the Arab League, Jamal al, believes that China's development is an increase in the power of peace and progress, and that "China is a trusted friend and partner of Arab countries.".

China and Arab countries have always firmly supported each other on issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns. Arab countries firmly adhere to the One China principle and support China in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity. On May 16th, the 33rd Arab League Summit Council meeting was held, and Arab countries included adhering to the One China principle in the Council resolution.

China firmly supports Arab countries in strengthening strategic autonomy and unity, supporting Arab countries in pursuing development paths that are in line with their own national conditions, and supporting Arab countries in their efforts to maintain security and stability in the Middle East. China has facilitated the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, leading to a wave of reconciliation in the Middle East region. China firmly supports the just cause of restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and is always committed to a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. Secretary General of the Arab League, Gheit, stated that we highly appreciate China's leadership in the Palestinian issue, which has made important contributions to the ceasefire, cessation of violence, cooling of the situation, and protection of civilians.

This year, Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have become official members of the BRICS, making the BRICS more substantial and significant. China and Arab countries closely communicate and cooperate under mechanisms such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as within the framework of the United Nations, practicing true multilateralism and promoting global governance towards a more just and reasonable direction. Sharbel Barakat, Director of the International Department of the Kuwait News, said that he believes that Arab countries and China will uphold the concept of mutual benefit and common development, and work together to build a more just and equitable global order.

"Seize historical opportunities and continue to achieve mutual benefit and win-win with China"

Jointly building the "the Belt and Road" is an important platform for China Arab cooperation. China has signed the "the Belt and Road" cooperation document with all 22 Arab countries and the Arab League. China has maintained its position as the largest trading partner of Arab countries, with the trade volume between China and Arab countries increasing from 36.7 billion US dollars in 2004 to 398 billion US dollars in 2023. The stock of bilateral direct investment between China and Arab countries has exceeded 30 billion US dollars. Former Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Jawad Anani said, "We look forward to seizing historical opportunities and continuing to achieve mutual benefit and win-win cooperation with China. Arab China cooperation has broad prospects and great potential."

Last June, at the 10th Entrepreneurship Conference and 8th Investment Seminar of the China Arab Cooperation Forum held in Saudi Arabia, China and Arab countries signed 30 economic and trade agreements with a total value of over 70 billion yuan; In September last year, the 6th China Arab States Expo achieved a total of 403 cooperation results, with a total amount of 170.97 billion yuan. The projects involved multiple fields such as modern agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, digital economy, and tourism cooperation. Saudi Minister of Investment, Fateh, stated that the increasingly close trade exchanges between Saudi Arabia and China have painted a bright future for bilateral cooperation. Saudi Arabia is actively committed to expanding bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation, strengthening the docking between the "the Belt and Road" initiative and Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030", and jointly benefiting both sides and their people.

From the towering landmark tower of the Central Business District project in Egypt's new administrative capital to the approximately 5.2 million square meters of the Zhongshayanbu refinery on the west coast of Shat; From helping Kuwait to build the first commercial 5G network covering the whole country in the Middle East, to the completion of the 1216 km long east-west expressway in Algeria... China and Arab countries have implemented more than 200 large-scale projects within the framework of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", and the results of cooperation have benefited nearly 2 billion people of both sides, injecting new impetus into the realization of their respective development visions in Arab countries. Khalid Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Planning and Development Commission of Kuwait, said that the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" has brought obvious development results to the joint construction of the country.

Green innovation cooperation brings new atmosphere to the high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" between China and Argentina. The Abu Dhabi Tawil seawater desalination project in the United Arab Emirates has been put into commercial operation as a whole, and the first unit of the 500 MW wind power project in Suez Bay, Egypt has been lifted. The China Arab International Research Center on Drought, Desertification, and Land Degradation has been established, and the efficient operation of China Arab technology transfer, clean energy, Beidou satellite and other centers provides strong support for deepening green innovation cooperation... China Arab work together to promote green development and effectively promote sustainable development between both sides.

"Strengthening cultural exchanges provides a good reference for humanity to achieve common development"

At the beginning of 2024, the "El Ola: Miracle Oasis of the Arabian Peninsula Exhibition" opened at the Palace Museum in Beijing; In May, the "Syria Ancient Cultural Relics Exhibition" was held in Nanning, Guangxi; In July, the "Summit of the Pyramid: Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Civilization" will enter Shanghai... Former Egyptian diplomat Amr Hernawi stated that these exhibitions reflect the commitment of both Arab and Chinese sides to promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning.

In recent years, China and Arab countries have carried out rich and colorful cooperation in areas such as youth, religion, political parties, news, education, culture, health, and broadcasting, film and television. The China Arab Reform and Development Research Center has become a platform for both sides to exchange experiences in reform, opening up, and governance; Within the framework of the China Arab Cooperation Forum, cultural exchange mechanisms have been established in various fields such as civilization dialogue, news, cities, and civil friendship; The series of cultural exchange activities such as "Happy Spring Festival", "China Arab Silk Road Cultural Tour", and "Yihui Silk Road" visit to China for cultural exchange are exciting and diverse; The China Arab News Exchange Center and the portal website of the China Arab Electronic Library have been put into operation, and the China Arab Think Tank Alliance and the China Arab Cultural Publishing Center have been officially established, laying a solid foundation for the mutual understanding and affinity between the two civilizations.

The Director of the Arab Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Naif, stated that "strengthening cultural exchanges between Afghanistan and China has provided a good reference for achieving common development for mankind." Mustafa Mashrafi, Vice Dean of the School of Law, Economics and Social Sciences at Mohammed V University in Morocco, stated that through the ancient Silk Road, trade and cultural exchanges between Afghanistan and China have promoted the overall progress of human civilization. Strengthening mutual learning among civilizations will promote international cooperation and contribute to the construction of a more fair, just, diverse, and inclusive world.

Youth are the inheritors of traditional friendship between China and Arab countries, and the driving force and hope for friendly cooperation between both sides. Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Tunisia have incorporated Chinese into their national education systems. Over 20 Confucius Institutes have been established in Arab countries, and hundreds of schools offer Chinese language courses. The China Arab Classic Translation and Publishing Project has translated and published nearly a hundred classic Chinese Arab works and contemporary literary works.

At the end of last year, the first China Arab Youth Development Forum was held in Hainan, and more than 200 attending representatives jointly discussed strengthening the China Arab Youth Partnership. "Youth is the driving force of Arab China cooperation and the future of Arab China friendship," said Haifa Abu Ghazale, Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States. Both Arab and Chinese sides need to work together to enhance the abilities of young people, so that they can become high-quality young people who meet the needs of the times, understand future development needs, and contribute to the country and society.

The 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China Arab Cooperation Forum is about to be held. China is willing to work with Arab countries to continue to implement the results of the first China Arab Summit, and take this ministerial level meeting as an opportunity to promote the continuous revitalization of the China Arab strategic partnership and fully build a China Arab community with a shared future for the new era.

(Dubai, May 26th)