Strengthen Forum Construction and Build An "Upgraded Version" of China-Arab Relations

---- written at the time of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum

Wang Yi

On June 5, we will welcome delegates from Arab countries and the League of Arab States in Beijing, as we prepare to hold the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, and in the process celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the forum. The meeting represents the Chinese government's significant diplomatic action toward the Arab world in the modern context, which marks an important event in the history of China-Arab relations. The event is of great significance in regards to linking the past with the future and helping all sides continue to forge ahead.

In January 2004, focusing on the long-term development of China-Arab relations in the new century, China and the Arab states jointly announced the establishment of the China-Arab forum at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo. It was the result of new demands within the continuous development of political mutual trust and the increasing maturity of pragmatic cooperation between the two sides. It's very true to say that success is assured when the conditions are ripe. The forum was also a new measure taken by the two sides to conform to the wave of globalization and the trend of regional cooperation, which emerged as a result of modern times. The establishment of the forum was based on a traditional friendship; driven by mutual cooperation; and aimed towards common development, reflecting the strategic will and common choice of China and Arabic countries.

A decade of spring blossom and autumn harvest has been accompanied by trials and hardships. The China-Arab Cooperation forum managed to establish a cooperation mechanism by holding a series of activities which include ministerial conferences, senior officials' meetings, entrepreneur meetings and investment workshops, China-Arab relations and culture dialogue seminars, informal meetings, energy cooperation meetings, press cooperation forums, meetings between senior officials in public health sectors, and the co-hosting of cultural festivals. These activities have greatly enriched the contents of friendly exchange between the two sides, and strongly expanded the cooperation mode of mutual benefit, which has become an important brand in leading the development of China-Arab relations.

The past decade has seen the level of political mutual trust between China and Arab states moving towards maturity. In 2010, the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum released the "Tianjin Communique", which announced the establishment of a strategic cooperation relationship between China and Arab countries in order to achieve all-round cooperation and common development; pushing the level of collective dialogue between China and Arab nations to a new level. Aside from this, China has also established strategic relations with countries including Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. China, together with the cooperation committee of Arab countries in the Gulf, has also established the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strategic dialogue mechanism. China will unswervingly support Arab countries' self-directed exploration for the development road which is in line with their national conditions. China will also support Arab countries to restore their legitimate rights which include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Arab countries have offered precious support to China concerning China's core interests and major concerns, and donate generously during times when China was stricken by disasters such as the Wenchuan earthquake. In the past decade, the council of foreign ministers at the League of Arab States has passed a number of resolutions on strengthening Arab-China friendly relations across various areas. Developing the level of cooperation with China has become the common consensus among Arabic countries.

This decade, economic and trade cooperation between China and Arab countries has seen a leap. Mutual trade between China and Arab states has climbed from 25.5 billion dollars to 238.9 billion, a 25 percent increase year-on-year; and Crude oil imported from Arab countries to China rose from 40.58 million tons to 133 million tons, an annual increase of over 12 percent. The contract value that Chinese enterprises recently signed for construction projects within Arab countries has soared from 2.6 billion to 29.1 billion dollars, a 27 percent increase year-on-year. Currently, China has become the second largest trade partner for Arab nations as a bloc and the largest partner for nine of these Arab countries. Meanwhile, Arab countries have become China's seventh largest trade partner, China's major partner in energy resources and an important market for contracted projects and overseas investment. In recent years, the momentum of China-Arab cooperation in new areas including finance, aerospace and new energy has become increasingly more vigorous.

This decade, cultural exchanges between China and Arab countries have been splendid. At present, over 20 universities in China have designed Arabic-related majors. A total of 11 Confucius institutes and one on-air Confucius classroom have been set up in eight Arab countries. The number of Arab students studying in China has exceeded more than 10,000 annually. Eight Arab countries have become the principal destination countries for Chinese tourists. 145 regular flights journey between China and Arab nations every week, and the personnel exchange between the two sides has exceeded more than 830,000 individuals. In the past decade, China has trained 15,676 professional personnel in various fields, dispatched 5,338 staff members with medical expertise, and provided strong intellectual support for the all-round development of various social undertakings in Arab countries. China-Arab friendship, so to speak, has been deeply implanted in the hearts of the people and has won popular support.

Drawing from the decade-long experience of the China-Arab cooperation forum and China-Arab relations development, the two sides always persist in treating one another with sincerity and mutual trust, and maintain the overall direction of strategic cooperation; adhere to the values of pragmatic and efficient cooperation with beneficial and reciprocal principles; achieve common development by sharing opportunities; stay open and inclusive, seek common ground while reserving differences, and get emotionally close by learning from each other; keep pace with the times, and make pioneering efforts to advance and achieve the mutual promotion and integrated development of bilateral and collective cooperation.

At present, the world is further moving forward toward multi-polarization and economic globalization. There is a continual promotion of cultural diversity and societal informatization, achieving new breakthroughs in technological revolutions for various fields. As important members among the world's developing countries, China and Arab countries are at a crucial moment in their process of transformation development. The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party created a strategic plan to deepen reforms in a comprehensive way. Chinese people are striving toward achieving the goal of "Two One Hundred Years" and realizing the Chinese dream of the nation's great rejuvenation. The Middle East has also undergone unprecedented change, adjustment and transformation. Arab countries have sped up their pace for independently exploring transformation. 1.3 billion Chinese, together with 300 million Arabs should cooperate to seize joint opportunities, face challenges and achieve common development.

The Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum is to conclude with the "Beijing Communique", the "Action Plan 2014-2016" and the "2014-2024 Development Plan"; all of which form a move designed to draw a grand blueprint for China-Arab relations and forum construction over the next decade. China will also demonstrate its foreign policy to Arab countries under the new situation, and put forward new ideas and measures aimed at strengthening pragmatic cooperation between the two sides. The meeting will not only launch a new glorious decade for forum construction, but also blow a horn to create an upgraded version of China-Arab relations.

In order to deepen China-Arab strategic cooperation, the basis of the relationship should be as firm as a rock. The two sides are supposed to sustain a sound momentum for high-level exchanges, maintain a multi-level mechanism for holding ministerial conferences and senior officials' meetings within the framework of the forum, and conduct dialogue and discussion on subjects of global politics, economy and security, to reflect the strategic levels of both sides. China-Arab nations should offer mutual support on core and major interests concerned by both sides, and strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs, so as to promote the global balance of power developing toward directions which are beneficial to developing countries and safeguarding the common interests of both sides.

In order to deepen China-Arab strategic cooperation, the flow of relations should be vigorous. Arab countries are located toward the western end of the intersection of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Silk Road on the Sea", meaning that these nations are China's natural and important cooperation partners for building "One Belt and One Road". China wishes to strengthen levels of cooperation with Arab countries in traditional fields such as energy, economy and trade, infrastructure, as well as new emerging sectors such as nuclear, aerospace, and new energy resources. The two sides will share in the achievement of development and the promotion of common prosperity. Arab countries also wish to connect China's western development with its eastward development strategy, gaining more opportunities for themselves and space for development by exploring their comparative advantages. The two sides will take the common construction of "One Belt and One Road" as the basic norm to follow over the next ten years, and let it become the fountainhead in China-Arab relations. Only when the source water is vast, boundless, and vigorous, can the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Arab nations be long-standing and well-established.

In order to deepen China-Arab strategic cooperation, humane nourishment should be profound and solid. The two sides should continue to run civilization dialogue seminars, media cooperation forums, friendship meetings, China-Arab arts festivals, and expand cooperation in the fields of education, health, technology, travel and human resources training. Aside from this, the two sides will further solidify the foundations of China-Arab relations through setting up a mechanism by which to regularly dispatch specialists and youth, scholarly and elite delegations for the purposes of exchange. Both Chinese civilization and Arab civilization have profound cultural heritage, which has helped both sides create cultural systems of their own with distinctive features. Both civilizations attach great importance to spirituality, which has a special and positive value on the progress of present and future societies. Strengthening the level of human exchange between China and Arab nations can contribute towards more "eastern wisdom," thus benefitting the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations, and provide more "eastern thoughts" towards the cultivation of values for a global governance system.

"Like-minded individuals cannot be separated by distance." 2000 years ago, our ancestors overcame the limits of culture and geography, and helped to cultivate the harmonious prospects of China-Arab friendly exchanges based on the ancient "Silk Road". Today, we commonly build "One Belt and One Road" in an effort to revitalize the modern "Silk Road" and open a new door of opportunity for the development of China-Arab relations. China would like to work together with Arab countries, seize upon today's historical opportunities, and adhere to a win-win belief so as to develop a spirit of innovation and achieve the significant dream of national rejuvenation in the process of deepening China-Arab cooperation. Let's take the ten-year anniversary of the China-Arab cooperation forum as the starting point, and make an effort to join hands, ride with the tide, and embrace the bright future of China-Arab relations.