Deepen cooperation and build on past achievements

Accelerate the construction of a China-Arab community with a shared future

——Keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum

(Beijing, May 30, 2024)

Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China

Your Majesty King Hamad,

Dear President Sisi,

Dear President Said,

Dear President Mohammed,

Mr. Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, heads of delegations,

Distinguished guests, dear friends:

I am very pleased to attend the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum. I feel very close to my Arab friends every time I meet them. The friendship between China and the Chinese people and Arab countries and peoples stems from the friendly exchanges on the ancient Silk Road, from the side-by-side struggle for national liberation, and from the win-win cooperation in the process of national construction.

Since the new century, China-Arab relations have continuously reached new heights. In December 2022, I went to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the first China-Arab Summit, and my Arab colleagues and I agreed to make every effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era. China is satisfied with the implementation of the outcomes of the first China-Arab Summit, and is willing to work with the Arab side to play a strategic leading role in the summit and continue to promote the leapfrog development of China-Arab relations. Here, I am pleased to announce to you that China will host the second China-Arab Summit in China in 2026, and I believe this will become another milestone in China-Arab relations.

Dear guests, dear friends!

At present, the world is undergoing a century-long transformation, and both China and Arab countries are shouldering the mission of realizing their respective national rejuvenation and accelerating national construction. Building a China-Arab community with a shared future demonstrates our common desire to open up a new era in China-Arab relations and create a better world.

China is willing to help and support Afghanistan and build China-Afghanistan relations into a benchmark for maintaining world peace and stability. In the face of a turbulent world, mutual respect is the way to live in harmony, and fairness and justice are the foundation of lasting security. We are willing to work with Afghanistan to respect the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect the independent choices of people of all countries, respect the objective reality formed by history, and explore solutions to hot issues that are conducive to maintaining fairness and justice and achieving long-term peace and stability.

China is willing to work with Afghanistan on the basis of equality and mutual benefit to build China-Afghanistan relations into a model of high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The spirit of the Silk Road has been passed down from generation to generation, leading China-Afghanistan cooperation to keep pace with the times and benefit the people of both sides. In the face of an interdependent world, we are willing to continue to align development strategies with Afghanistan, continuously strengthen the ballast stones of cooperation in oil and gas, trade, infrastructure, etc., accelerate the cultivation of new growth points such as artificial intelligence, investment and financing, and new energy, and jointly embark on the road of innovation, greenness, and prosperity.

China is willing to be tolerant and learn from each other with Afghanistan, and build China-Afghanistan relations into a model of harmonious coexistence of different civilizations. In the face of a more diverse world, more dialogue means less confrontation, more tolerance means less estrangement. Peace, truth, integrity and tolerance are the common pursuits of the Chinese and Arab peoples. We are willing to work with Afghanistan to promote cultural exchanges, promote the common values of all mankind, and write a new era model of mutual learning and mutual benefit among different civilizations.

China is willing to work closely with Afghanistan to build China-Arab relations into a model for exploring the right path for global governance. The common destiny of mankind has become an inevitable trend, but the governance deficit, trust deficit, peace deficit and development deficit are getting worse. We need to uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint construction and sharing, and continuously optimize global governance. We are willing to work with Afghanistan to advocate an equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization, and create a model of South-South cooperation in global governance.

Dear guests, dear friends!

During the first China-Arab States Summit, I proposed the “Eight Joint Actions” to promote practical cooperation between China and Arab States. Over the past year, through the joint efforts of both sides, China and Arab countries have signed cooperation documents on the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” to achieve full coverage, new progress has been made in scientific and technological research and development, and technology transfer, economic and trade, and energy cooperation have reached a new level, iconic flagship projects and “small and beautiful” people-oriented projects have been promoted in parallel, cooperation in areas such as food security, green innovation, and health has been deepened and solid, and the platform for cultural exchange and cooperation has been operating at a high quality. The “Eight Joint Actions” have achieved important early results. In the next stage, China is willing to build a “five-cooperation pattern” with the Afghan side on this basis to accelerate the construction of a China-Arab community with a shared future.

First, a more dynamic innovation-driven pattern. China will build 10 joint laboratories with Afghanistan in the fields of life and health, artificial intelligence, green and low-carbon, modern agriculture, space information, etc. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Afghanistan in the field of artificial intelligence, jointly promote artificial intelligence to empower the real economy, and promote the formation of a global artificial intelligence governance system with broad consensus; China is willing to build a joint space debris observation center and a Beidou application cooperation and development center with Afghanistan, and strengthen cooperation in manned spaceflight and civil aircraft.

Second, a larger-scale investment and financial structure. China is willing to establish an industrial and investment cooperation forum with the Arab side, continue to promote the expansion of the China-Arab Union, and accelerate the implementation of the Middle East industrialization special loan and China-Arab financial cooperation special loan cooperation projects. China supports the two financial institutions to strengthen cooperation, welcomes Arab countries to issue “Panda Bonds” in China, welcomes Arab banking institutions to join the RMB cross-border payment and clearing system, and is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Arab side in the field of central bank digital currency.

The third is a more three-dimensional energy cooperation pattern. China will further strengthen strategic cooperation with the Arab side in the field of oil and gas to connect supply security and market security; China is willing to jointly carry out new energy technology research and development and equipment production with the Arab side. China will support Chinese energy companies and financial institutions to participate in renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of more than 3 million kilowatts in Arab countries.

Fourth, a more balanced economic and trade reciprocity. China will continue to actively promote the implementation of 3 billion yuan of development cooperation projects; China is willing to accelerate bilateral and regional free trade agreement negotiations with Afghanistan and promote the establishment of e-commerce cooperation dialogue mechanisms. China welcomes Afghanistan’s active participation in the China International Import Expo and is willing to expand imports of non-energy products, especially agricultural and food products, from Afghanistan.

Fifth, a wider pattern of cultural exchanges. China is willing to establish the “China-Arab Center for the Global Civilization Initiative” with the Arab side, expand the scale and influence of the China-Arab Reform and Development Research Center, and accelerate the construction of platforms such as the think tank alliance, the Youth Development Forum, the University Alliance, and the Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center. China will invite 200 Arab party leaders to visit China every year, and will strive to achieve 10 million mutual visits with the Arab side in the next five years.

Dear guests, dear friends!

The Middle East is a fertile land for development, but the flames of war are still raging on this land. Since October last year, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated dramatically and the people have suffered heavy hardships. The war cannot continue indefinitely, justice cannot be permanently absent, and the “two-state solution” cannot be arbitrarily shaken. China firmly supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, supports Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations, and supports the convening of a larger, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference. On top of the previous 100 million yuan emergency humanitarian assistance, China will provide another 500 million yuan in aid to support the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and post-war reconstruction; it will donate 3 million US dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support the Agency’s emergency humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

An Arab proverb says that friends are the sunshine in life. We will continue to work with our Arab friends to promote the spirit of China-Arab friendship, unite to create a better future, and let the road to building a China-Arab community with a shared future be filled with sunshine!

Thanks!