Growth of China-Arab ties conducive to Middle East peace, development: senior diplomat

BEIJING -- The growth of China-Arab relations benefits the two peoples, promotes peace and development in the Middle East and adds stability to a turbulent world, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li said on Monday.

Deng made the remarks at a press briefing concerning the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

Noting that the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has made remarkable achievements since its establishment two decades ago, Deng said China's relations with many Arab countries have developed from "partnership" to "strategic cooperative relationship" and then to "strategic partnership," achieving leapfrog progress.

At the first China-Arab States Summit in 2022, the two sides agreed to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, and China-Arab relations entered a new era of comprehensive deepening development, Deng said.

With the joint efforts of both sides, China-Arab strategic mutual trust has been deepened, practical cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to the two peoples, cultural and people-to-people exchanges have been further enriched, and positive progress has been made in building a China-Arab community with a shared future, said Deng.

China and Arab countries are important members of the developing world, and shoulder the common historical mission of realizing national rejuvenation and accelerating national development, Deng said, stressing the importance of advancing China-Arab ties to promote peace and development in the Middle East.

Upholding the goal of building a China-Arab community with a shared future, China will continue to work with Arab states in the spirit of friendship, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, advance cooperation in various fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and work together to make the international order fairer and more equitable through exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.