China President Xi moves to secure Sino-Arab cooperation

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit. President Xi is coupling the trip with a state visit to Saudi Arabia. The visit has created a lot of international interest particularly because the Arab world has until now seemed beholden to the West for trade and security.

To mark his visit, Xi penned an article titled “Carrying Forward Our Millennia-old Friendship and Jointly Creating a Better Future” in Saudi’s leading newspaper Al Riyadh published on December 8. The exchanges between China and Arab states date back more than 2,000 years. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Gan Ying, a Chinese emissary, reached the “western seas,” namely the Gulf, on his mission to the Roman Empire. This is the first official record of Chinese envoys reaching Arab states of the Gulf.

Since the 1950s, China has established diplomatic relations with all Arab states. In the 21st century, China-Arab relations have continued to move ahead against a fluid international landscape, and achieved historic leapfrog growth in political trust, mutually beneficial economic cooperation, and cultural mutual learning in both breadth and depth.

Individually, China has established comprehensive strategic partnership or strategic partnership with 12 Arab states, and signed documents on Belt and Road cooperation with 20 Arab states. Among Arab countries, 17 have expressed support for the Global Development Initiative (GDI), 15 have become members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and 14 have participated in the China-League of Arab States Cooperation Initiative on Data Security.

Major infrastructure projects jointly built by the two sides, including the Djamaa El Djazair mosque of Algeria, the Lusail Stadium of Qatar, the new headquarters of the Central Bank of Kuwait, as well as the Merowe Dam, the Roseires Dam heightening, and the Upper Atbara Dams Complex Project of Sudan, have become landmarks of China-Arab friendship. China has set up 20 Confucius institutes and two Confucius classrooms in Arab states. And over 40 Chinese universities teach Arabic as a major, contributing inexhaustible energy for growing China-Arab friendship.

Under the framework of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, 17 cooperation mechanisms have been launched to expand and substantiate the cooperation agenda, giving a strong boost to China-Arab relations and providing a paradigm for the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.

The partners have pledged to continue enhancing Belt and Road cooperation, keep expanding practical cooperation in areas such as food, energy, investment, financing and medical services. The partners will continue to jointly act on the GDI and the Global Security Initiative so as to stabilize volatile regions and contribute more positive energy to peace and development.

In the past 10 years, China-GCC relations have grown constantly and yielded fruitful results. China has remained the GCC’s largest trading partner and largest export market of petrochemical products. In 2021, two-way trade exceeded 230 billion U.S. dollars, and China’s import of crude oil from GCC countries topped 200 million tons.

The two sides enjoy extensive, in-depth cooperation in traditional areas such as production capacity, infrastructure development, investment and finance. Cooperation in high-tech sectors including 5G communications, new energy, space and digital economy is also gaining momentum. The new signature project of smart manufacturing cooperation and the new landscape of industrial cooperation have added fresh impetus to the development of China and GCC countries.

Saudi Arabia is a major energy exporter in the world and a member of the G20. Saudi Arabia’s major development initiatives, the Middle East Green Initiative and the Saudi Green Initiative among many others, have captured wide attention. Its stature and influence in global political, economic and energy domains are on the rise.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, relations between China and Saudi Arabia have maintained robust growth. Most notably, China-Saudi Arabia cooperation has made major headway in the past 10 years. The two sides respect each other’s sovereignty and development path, respect each other’s history and cultural traditions, support each other in defending national security and stability, and undertake close strategic coordination. Practical cooperation is expanding rapidly.

China will take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen its comprehensive strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. It will continue to give each other understanding and support, and jointly advocate independence and oppose external interference. The partners will further synergise China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, deepen and substantiate practical cooperation in all areas, and increase the convergence of interests and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.

The two will strengthen collaboration under multilateral frameworks such as the UN, the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, jointly practice true multilateralism, and make greater contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and promoting development and prosperity of the world.

Last October, the Communist Party of China successfully convened its 20th National Congress, and it is now rallying and leading the Chinese people toward the goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects. As a staunch force for world peace and common development, China will stay committed to providing new opportunities for Arab states and all other countries in the world through its own development, and work with our Arab brothers to carry forward the traditional friendship and create a better future together.

Looking into the future, China will seize the opportunity of the establishment and consolidation of the China-GCC strategic partnership to cement their traditional friendship and deepen mutual trust. China will continue to firmly support GCC countries in upholding sovereignty, independence, security and stability, and continue to support the GCC in accelerating integration and pursuing diversified development.

China will work with the GCC to foster a new pattern of multi-faceted energy cooperation, accelerate new development in financial and investment cooperation, cultivate new highlights in people-to-people exchanges, and explore new areas of innovation cooperation. All this will help increase the convergence of interests between China and GCC countries.