This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China – Arab States Forum. Over the past 20 years, the forum has always adhered to the purpose of “strengthening dialogue and cooperation, promoting peace and development”, and has become an important platform for promoting collective dialogue and practical cooperation between China and Arab countries, making important contributions to promoting China – Arab relations and setting a successful example of South-South cooperation. The 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China – Arab Forum held in Beijing on May 30th plays an important role in connecting the past with the future. Based on the China – Arab strategic partnership, this meeting pointed out the direction for future cooperation between China and Arab countries. The focus of the meeting is to speed up in-depth discussion on building a community of destiny between China and Arab countries, plan the next stage of cooperation, and issue a common voice between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue.[1]

1. China-Arab relations: a new period of comprehensive and in-depth development.

1.1. Economic Cooperation: the ballast stone for China-Arab relations.

Nineteen institutional activities were set up within the framework of the forum, covering economy and trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges, technological innovation, medical and health care, satellite communications and other fields. It has become an effective mechanism for planning and promoting pragmatic cooperation between China and Afghanistan. China-Arab economic cooperation has achieved fruitful results, and China has been the largest trading partner of Arab countries for many years in a row. China has signed “One Belt, One Road” cooperation documents with all 22 Arab countries and the Arab League. The two sides have implemented more than 200 large-scale projects within the framework of the “Belt and Road”. For example, the Sino – Saudi Yanbu Refinery has helped Saudi Arabia’s economic to transform and upgrade. China and Arab countries continue to deepen cooperation in environment protection and low-carbon allocation, aerospace satellites, information and communications and other emerging fields.[2]

1.2. Cultural cooperation: the glue of China – Arab relations

The forum has become a powerful force to promote cultural exchanges between China and Arab countries. Within the framework of the Forum, many cultural exchange activities were held, such as art festivals, seminars on dialogue among civilizations, friendship meetings, women’s forums and health forums. A series of cultural exchange activities, such as “Happy Spring Festival”, “China-Arab Silk Road Cultural Tour”, and “Art Silk Road” were held successfully. Learning Chinese continues to heat up in Arab countries. Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Tunisia have announced that they will include Chinese in the national education system. There are more than 20 Confucius Institutes in Arab countries and hundreds of schools offering Chinese courses.[3]

2. The “Greater Neighborhood” Strategy and the Future Prospects of China – Arab Relations

The forum aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, promote peace and development, build mutual consensus on many regional and international issues and promote cooperation between China and Arab countries in international and regional affairs. In recent years, China has put forward five proposals for achieving security and stability in the Middle East, four proposal for a political solution to the Syrian issue and three proposals for the implementation of the “two-state plan” on the Palestinian issue, which have contributed China wisdom and solutions to peace and stability in the Middle East. On issues involving each other’s core interests, the Arab countries and China have always supported each other firmly. Earlier this year, the 161^st Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States adopted a resolution on “Arab-China relations”, stressing that Arab countries attach importance to developing relations with China, reaffirming their support for the one-China principle, and stressing their willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields under the Belt and Road Initiative.[4] In-depth exchanges and extensive consensus between China and Arab countries have promoted the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and then set off a “wave of reconciliation” in the Middle East. Syria has returned to the family of the Arab League, and Qatar has resumed diplomatic relations or normalized relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt.

The China – Arab States forum provides a docking platform for promoting practical cooperation between China and Arab countries and provides a solid guarantee for enhancing political mutual trust between China and Arab countries. In the future, the two sides will make a larger cake of cooperation, establish a stronger mechanism of cooperation, carry out more practical actions, and better serve the building of a China-Arab community with a common destiny.

3. China – Arab forum and International Relations

The world today is undergoing a major change unseen in a century. China and Arab countries are good friends, good partners, good brothers, and important forces in promoting world peace and development. China and Arab countries have jointly strengthened the power of South-South cooperation. The two sides jointly build the “Belt and Road” and actively promote cooperation in key areas, which is conducive to jointly responding to various security risks and challenges, safeguarding the interests of developing countries, and promoting an equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization.

3.1. The US Factor in China – Arab Relations

Nowadays, the world is experiencing a great change that has never happened in a century. As good friends, good partners and good brothers, China and Afghanistan also play an important role in promoting world peace and development. China and Arab countries have jointly improved the strength of South-South cooperation. Building the “Belt and Road” Initiative and actively promoting cooperation in key areas are conducive to jointly coping with various security risks and challenges, safeguarding the interests of developing countries and promoting an equal and orderly multi-polar world and economic globalization that benefits the whole world.

Although Saudi Arabia and other countries were allies of the United States before China established diplomatic relations with the Arab world, the situation today is very different. US President Biden visited Saudi Arabia in 2022. He failed to get specific commitments to increase oil production or regain control of the Middle Eastern countries. In addition, during the China-Arab Summit in 2023, Saudi Energy Minister Salman said that Saudi Arabia did not have to face the choice between China and the United States. Regardless of the West’s growing suspicion of Sino-Saudi relations, Saudi Arabia hopes to cooperate with China, not compete. At subsequent international conferences, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman told US Secretary of State Blinken that the cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia may be strengthened.[5]

Western media believe that China is interfering in the internal affairs of Middle Eastern countries through economic means. China is an equal partner for Middle Eastern countries, not a master nor a political threat. The political and economic cooperation between China and Middle East countries does not mean that Middle East countries are inclined to China, because these countries are also cooperating with the United States. This reflects the pursuit of political and economic autonomy in the Arab countries that were once controlled by the United States. These countries want peace and development, and do not want to be victims of the struggle between other countries.

3.2. How will the China – Arab forum affect global development and the international relationships?

China put forward global development initiatives, global security initiatives and global civilization initiatives, which received positive response from Arab States. Twenty-two Arab countries and the League of Arab States signed cooperation documents with China to jointly build the “Belt and Road”. The Arab countries and China have always insisted on developing their relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality. Both Arab countries and China advocate respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and opposition to foreign interference and all forms of hegemonism and power politics. The two sides will continue to work hard to strengthen unity and cooperation in the “Global South”, safeguard common interests, promote world multi-polarization and the democratization of international relations, and push global governance in a more just and rational direction. [6]

3.2.1 Undermining US hegemony

The China-Arab forum is conducive to diminish America’s attempt to establish a unipolar world, maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and promoting multipolarization. On the one hand, China can sign economic agreements with Arab countries and obtain relatively cheap and high-quality oil from the Middle East through this forum. This provides China with a new and important energy security channel. This provides an economic basis for China to weaken its control of the United States. On the other hand, Chinese commodities also occupy a considerable proportion of the Middle East consumer market. China sells weapons to Middle Eastern countries and guarantees the strategic energy reserves in the region. With the help of the China-Arab Forum and other channels, Arab countries can weaken the pressure exerted by the West and the United States and change their vassal status.

3.2.2 Create a platform to showcase and enhance soft power

Supported by powerful military forces, the United States has been exporting its hegemonism and unilateralism to Asian countries. Its idea of solving international problems by “hard power” in the United States is opposite to the theme of peace and development today. Moreover, with the deepening of international competition and cooperation, the international situation is becoming more and more complicated, and it is often impossible to solve the problem by force alone. For example, after the Iraq war, the United States did not gain the anticipated control over Iraq because it did not correctly understand Islamic culture.

On the contrary, the China-Arab Forum provides a good platform for calling on Arab countries to solve problems peacefully and enhance their soft power. China and Arab countries oppose conflicts, respect each other, learn from each other, and are willing to carry out cultural exchanges. The China-Arab Forum promoted the Arab countries to realize the idea of multi-polarization in the world generally, and get rid of the situation that the United States and the Soviet Union turned against each other during the Cold War and “turned to the United States” after the Cold War. In addition, Arab countries can refer to the China-Arab Forum and establish other platforms for dialogue and cooperation in many fields. The China-Arab Forum can provide a reference for Arab countries to cooperate with European countries and all other countries with interests in the Middle East. This is conducive to the diversification of world culture, the multi – legalization of world politics and the weakening of Western hegemonic culture.

References

Hua Liming: The American Factor in China-Arab Relations, 2005(5), The Arab World.

Zhu Xiaoli, Xia Juan: The Global Significance of Contemporary China-Arab Relations , 2006.10, Contemporary Arab Studies .

[1] Finance Associated Press: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds a briefing for Chinese and foreign media to introduce President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial meeting of the forum on China – Arab Cooperation,2004.05.27, https://baijiahao.baidu.com/ s?id=1800204425802248618&

wfr=spiderfor=pc.

[2] Li Chen: 20-year-history and a New Chapter of Destiny and Cooperation, 2024.05, China – Arab Relations in the New Era.

[3] Same as 2.

[4] Hassan Daja: The friendly China – Arab cooperation contains vast opportunities, 2024.05, China Daily.

[5] Iqiyi: The 10th China – Arab States forum is about to be held, and Saudi Arabia has stated that it will not choose sides and will cooperate rather than compete, https://www.iqiyi.com/v_1fv9sihe04g.html

[6] Same as 4.

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