Chinese-Arab relations have achieved a historic leap, Xi Jinping says
Chinese leader keen to take summit as new starting point as he wraps up three-day visit
Riyadh: President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, affirmed that the relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Arab countries witnessed great developments, as the two sides established strategic partnership relations based on comprehensive cooperation and joint development for a better future, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In his closing speech during the Riyadh Arab-China Summit for Cooperation and Development, President Jinping added that the Arab-China summit worked to strengthen construction to confront the food, energy and climate crisis, and is committed to find political solutions to thorny issues and working to maintain peace and security in the region, and calls for reaching mutual benefit and enhancing harmonious coexistence between different civilizations.
He added that China has established comprehensive strategic partnership relations with 12 Arab countries separately, and signed cooperation documents to build the Belt and Road with 20 Arab countries, and 17 Arab countries expressed their support for the global development initiative, confirming that 15 Arab countries joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Seventeen cooperation mechanisms have been set up within the framework of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.
The Chinese president stressed that the Chinese-Arab relations have achieved a historic leap, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and injecting more stability factors into the region and the world, noting that the Arab-China summit was a complete success, as the two sides agreed to work with all efforts to build the Chinese-Arab community for a common future towards the new era, which is a milestone in the history of Chinese-Arab relations.
President Jinping stressed the Chinese side’s keenness to take this summit as a new starting point to work to devote the Chinese-Arab friendship represented in solidarity, equality, interests, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and to advance promising prospects for cooperation.
Earlier, the leaders agreed to strengthen the existing strategic partnership between the GCC and China, and emphasised pushing it towards new horizons in various political, economic and cultural fields, and approved the joint action plan for the 2023-2027 to achieve this.
Importance of mutual support
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the leaders directed the continuation of the strategic dialogue between the two sides at all levels to discuss issues of common concern and coordinate positions on them, support international economic recovery efforts, address the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges, work to ensure flexibility of supply chains, security of food and energy supplies, and advance building cooperation relations in developing clean energy sources and technologies, assisting countries most in need and contributing to meeting their humanitarian needs.
The leaders emphasised the importance of mutual support in order to achieve the common interests of both sides, as China supports the efforts of the GCC states to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain its security and stability, and achieve integrated development. The GCC states also support China’s efforts to develop its economy, maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and adhere to the one-China principle.
Promoting dialogue
They stressed the importance of continuing to deepen cooperation between the two sides in the fields of energy, trade, investment, finance, industry, advanced technology, space and health, in the common interest of both sides, including completing free trade negotiations between them as soon as possible.
The leaders expressed their keenness to promote dialogue between civilizations, communication and mutual benefit between different cultures, and to preserve cultural diversity. They emphasized that tolerance and coexistence between nations and peoples are among the most important principles and values upon which the international community is based.
Xi Jinping left Riyadh on Saturday morning following an official three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia.
The president was seen off at King Khalid International Airport by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh, and Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Model of cooperation
During the visit, President Xi Jinping attended summits with Saudi, Gulf and other Arab leaders, describing the talks as a historic milestone for relations with the energy-rich Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and China vowed to prioritise relations as part of their foreign policy and set a model of cooperation and solidarity for developing countries, according to a joint statement released after the Saudi-Chinese summit.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman addressed both summits on Friday, promising “continuing Arab-Chinese cooperation to serve our common goals and aspirations of our peoples”.
One area of focus for the China-GCC summit was a free trade agreement under discussion for nearly two decades.
No breakthrough was announced on Friday.