Recently,Professor Wang Guangguang, Secretary-General of the Council of the China-Arab Reform and Development Research CenterOn the 14th page of the 2023 year-end special issue of Xinmin Evening News, the full text of the article "China-Arab Cooperation Promotes Deepening and Solidification" is as follows:
In April, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran held their first official meeting in more than seven years in Beijing under Chinese mediation.
The first China-Arab States Summit in 2022 was held, and the two sides agreed to jointly build a China-Arab community with a shared future, opening a new era of China-Arab relations and heralding the great potential and broad prospects of China-Arab cooperation. In 2023, the two sides actively implemented the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit, laying a good foundation for the development of China-Arab relations in 2024. In 2024, the two sides will continue to carry forward the China-Arab friendship spirit of "mutual assistance, equality, mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning", promote the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future under the guidance of the diplomacy of the heads of state, and comprehensively advance the China-Arab strategic partnership in the fields of strategic mutual trust, practical cooperation, and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
First, we need to continue to deepen strategic mutual trust and safeguard common interests. In the first half of 2023, China facilitated the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which greatly promoted the unity and stability of the Middle East, and China's regional influence continued to increase. Towards the end of the year, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran established a tripartite joint committee in Beijing, further consolidating the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. China's upholding fairness and justice in the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been widely appreciated by Arab countries. The year 2024 coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CAF), and the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum will be held in China.
Second, we should adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results, and promote practical cooperation to a new level. In 2023, China-Arab cooperation in various fields has been fully rolled out due to the strong complementarity of the industrial structure of the two sides, and the cooperation in the investment field will continue to be good. In 2024, the two sides will continue to implement the "Eight Common Actions" for China-Arab States practical cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping at the first China-Arab States Summit, and continue to promote comprehensive cooperation in eight areas: support for development, food security, health, green innovation, energy security, dialogue among civilizations, youth development, and security and stability. At present, China has signed cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative with all 22 Arab countries and the League of Arab States, achieving "full coverage" of countries in the region. In 2024, China and the Arab States will embark on the second decade of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the two sides will continue to uphold the Silk Road spirit of "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit", and work together to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, so as to better benefit the nearly 2 billion people on both sides.
Finally, we will continue to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and enter a new stage. In October 2023, the China-Arab States Civilization Dialogue Seminar was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, emphasizing respect for the diversity of world civilizations, abandoning arrogance and prejudice, and calling for attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations and opening up a new form of human civilization. In December, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and the Secretariat of the League of Arab States signed the Joint Statement on Implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, making Arab countries the first region in the world to jointly issue a joint statement with China on the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative, providing a model for exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. In 2024, China and Arab States will jointly implement the Global Civilization Initiative, provide civilized guidance for the development of regional situations, and make greater contributions to jointly addressing global challenges.
In 2023, China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships or strategic partnerships with 14 Arab countries, and the "big year" of China-Arab relations in 2024 is bound to achieve even more fruitful results.