Xi Jinping announces visit of Arab leaders to 10th China-Arab Forum Ministerial Conference
- 20 years of cooperation: a snapshot of the China-Arab Forum Ministerial Conference
- China and the Arab world: a growing partnership
The 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab Forum on Cooperation will be held in Beijing with the participation of Arab and Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping. The meeting aims to strengthen cooperation between China and Arab countries in areas such as trade, technology and culture.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Tunisia's President Kais Saied and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will travel at the invitation of their counterpart Xi Jinping and will be the key players at the conference.
Xi Jinping is expected to deliver the keynote address at an event in the capital on the 30th, according to an announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, a Mauritanian, will co-chair the conference.
In the middle of this month, the Chinese head of state sent a congratulatory letter to the current chairman of the Council of the League of Arab States (Arab League) and the King of Bahrain on the occasion of the convening of the organisation's 33rd summit. Xi emphasised that the Arab League has long been committed to promoting solidarity and self-strengthening in the region, as well as promoting peace, stability and development in the Middle East.
He noted that in recent years and in the face of changes in the world, Arab countries have steadfastly maintained their independence, advocated development, protected equality and justice, and safeguarded peace and stability in the region, playing an increasingly important role in strengthening and cooperating among countries in the Global South.
20 years of cooperation: a snapshot of the China-Arab Forum Ministerial Conference
In 2004, the Forum was established with the aim of strengthening cooperation between China and Arab countries. Two decades later, the Conference has achieved significant progress in economic, political and cultural cooperation between the countries involved.
In the years since, numerous agreements and memoranda of understanding have been signed between China and Arab countries, leading to significant growth in trade and investment between the parties. Cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, information technology and education have also been successful.
Security cooperation has also been an important area for the Forum. China and Arab countries have worked together to combat terrorism and crime, and have established security cooperation programmes to protect regional stability.
Recent years have seen increased cooperation in areas such as health, education and culture in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis, which shook governments around the world, has been the trigger for the importance of international cooperation in areas such as health and security.
China and the Arab world: a growing partnership
China's standing and contacts in the Arab world have grown significantly over the past five years. China's position vis-à-vis US policies has been one of the main links between the Arab world and China.
The high Arab participation in the tenth China-Arab Forum demonstrates the increase in collaboration between China and Arab countries in recent years, as 12 Arab nations now have comprehensive strategic partnership relations with China. Chinese investment in Arab nations is around 250 billion dollars and Chinese trade with Arab countries is almost 500 billion dollars.
At the first summit between the two sides in December 2022, Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, met with Arab leaders. There, the plan for the development of bilateral relations was drafted, and it was determined to cooperate in the creation of a community with a shared destiny: to increase influence on global decision-making.
Cooperation between China and Arab countries can have a significant impact on security and help end conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and Gaza. Within three months, China and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) signed agreements to cooperate on building infrastructure and promoting economic development, and to cooperate on counter-terrorism and international security.