Beijing: The UAE is participating in the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, which kicked-off on Tuesday in Beijing, in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and a number of high-level delegations from Arab states, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Geit.
The UAE delegation is headed by Dr Sultan Bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, and includes Yacoub Yousuf Al Hosani, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Organisations Affairs, and Ali Obaid Ali Al Daheri, UAE Ambassador to China.
In a statement during the forum’s proceedings, Al Jaber said that China is a strategic partner of Arab countries, adding that Arab-Chinese relations had witnessed remarkable development and expansion.
The Minister of State expressed the UAE leadership’s keenness to develop ties with China further, as well as a desire to maintain continued and constructive communication, and to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership across many sectors.
Al Jaber noted that the significant presence of Arab nations and their participation in the forum underscores the historical ties between Arab countries and the People’s Republic of China.
“This reflects the aspirations of both the governments and peoples to benefit from the opportunities and resources while promoting development and knowledge exchange,” he added.
The China-Arab Forum, Al Jaber continued, emphasises the importance of engagement and communication between Arab states and China on various issues of mutual concern.
These include the geographical and political significance of Arab nations, the prestigious role China plays in international arenas, and the core belief in the need to coordinate and expand frameworks of cooperation between Arab states and China, thus contributing to the strengthening of global security and stability, he said.
“We meet today with regional and global challenges in our midst,” he said, adding that the most prominent of which is the spread of terrorism and extremism.
“In this context, Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of Arab states and its support of terrorist militias in our brotherly Arab neighbours represents a direct threat to the safety, security and stability of our region and the world,” he said.
