Sino-Arab cooperation to get boost, envoy says

The 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum fully reflects the willingness of both sides to continue their traditional friendship and promote the development of China-Arab relations, a senior diplomat has said.

The conference, which opens on Thursday in Beijing, will gather foreign ministers or representatives of the 22 Arab states and the secretary-general of the League of Arab States. The heads of state from Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.

During the meeting, the two sides will map out a practical path to promote the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future in the next stage, Li Chen, ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, told China Daily.

China and the Arab nations will also take this opportunity to draw up a blueprint for the development of the forum, and send out voices of justice and peace on a wide range of topics from the Global South, he said.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the forum, Li said the forum has provided important impetus to China-Arab pragmatic cooperation.

China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with all the 22 Arab countries and the League of Arab States, under which more than 200 major projects have been implemented, benefiting nearly 2 billion people on both sides.

The two sides have also intensified communication and enhanced cooperation in various areas including trade, energy, green innovation and healthcare, Li said.

China has been the largest trading partner of Arab countries for many years, and China-Arab trade volume reached a record high of about $400 billion in both 2022 and 2023, a more than tenfold increase compared with 20 years ago, according to Li.

The two sides have also deepened cooperation in emerging areas such as 5G communications, space satellites, big data, artificial intelligence and new energy, he said.

Within the framework of the forum, 19 mechanisms covering various fields have been established and 85 outcome documents of various kinds have been issued.

The forum has become a "golden brand" in promoting collective dialogue and cooperation between China and Arab countries, Li said, adding that their political mutual trust has been consolidated over the past two decades.

China supports Arab nations in safeguarding their sovereign independence and territorial integrity, he said, emphasizing that Beijing has always supported Arab countries on the issue of Palestine.

Arab states support China on issues involving the country's core interests and major concerns such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, human rights and the Taiwan question, Li said.

Last year, China brokered a historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a move that not only helped ease tensions within the region but also catalyzed a wave of reconciliations among Arab states and within the broader region.

The forum has also built a platform for cultural exchanges between China and Arab nations, with various activities being held over the years, he said.

China has held 20 seminars for Arab countries to provide training for nearly 500 people, in order to enhance governance exchanges.

As more Chinese students are going to Arab countries to learn the language and culture, six Arab states — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia and Djibouti — have officially incorporated Chinese language courses into their national education systems.

There are more than 20 Confucius Institutes in Arab countries and hundreds of schools offering Chinese courses.