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Xinhua Silk Road Database
International Relation

B&R Initiative to help China and Arab states build a community of shared future

July 20, 2018


Abstract : The 8th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was held in Beijing on July 10. Analysts noted that the meeting was expected to inject new vigour into the development of China - Arab states relations.

中阿合作论坛第八届部长级会议

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The 8th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was held in Beijing on July 10. Analysts noted that the meeting was expected to inject new vigour into the development of China - Arab states relations and open up a new situation for both sides to build the Belt and Road together, helping them shape a community of shared future.

--Forging cooperation

In history, China and Arab states came to know and made friends with each other because of the ancient Silk Road. While in this day and age marked by ever deepening economic globalisation, both sides have become major partners in B&R construction, by actively aligning their respective development strategies and furthering practical cooperation in all areas.

As one of the earliest countries that signed B&R cooperation documents with China, Kuwait has responded earnestly to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended the opening ceremony of this year’s ministerial meeting.

During an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, Sabah said, Kuwait’s strategic development plan aimed to fulfill strategic transformation, and turn the country into a diversified economy, as well as an international trade and financial hub that can attract investment. And aligning such strategy with China’s Belt and Road Initiative would help Kuwait attain such a goal.

In 2016, Saudi Arabia came up with “Vision 2030”, designed to get rid of its dependence on oil and develop a diversified economy. During the implementation thereof, it has vigorously carried out cooperation with China, with the two sides establishing a high-level inter-governmental joint committee, which has strongly facilitated the alignment of its “Vision 2030” with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

According to data on the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral trade between China and Saudi Arabia amounted to around 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.3 percent.

--Mutual benefits and win-win results

The 7th Ministerial Meeting of CASCF was convened in Doha, capital of Qatar in May 2016. Cooperation between China and Arab states has developed rapidly over the past two years.

Arab League (AL) Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki also attended this year’s meeting. In an interview before his departure to Beijing, he expressed that China sets no political conditions when carrying out foreign exchanges, so Arab states are universally glad to cooperate with it.

Zaki pointed out, trade between the Arab states and China reached 192 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, signaling good bilateral trade relations and headroom for further growth.

Within the Belt and Road framework, both sides carry out cooperation projects in an orderly manner, and have witnessed the commencement of such projects as Egypt’s new administrative capital CBD project, China-Saudi Arabia (Jizan) Industrial Park and China-Oman (Duqm) Industrial Park. The planned overall investment for the China-Oman (Duqm) Industrial Park amounts to 67 billion yuan, the biggest of its kind ever built by foreign investors in Oman.  

--A promising future

The development of China - Arab states relations is beneficial to both sides, the region and the whole world. Both China and the Arab states look forward to pushing bilateral cooperation in various areas to a new level, and strengthening cooperation in B&R construction in particular.

A political analyst from Algeria said that Algeria can deepen exchanges with China in all fields, especially in the economic area.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a new opportunity for Morocco, said a Moroccan economist, adding that by participating in B&R construction, the country hopes to become a regional hub connecting Europe and Africa, and attracting investment from both Europe and China.

For Jordan which depends heavily on energy imports, the Belt and Road Initiative brings a lot of development opportunities, especially in the energy sector. The Attarat oil shale power plant project participated by China is expected to be put into operation in 2020 with annual electricity supply of 3.7 billion kilowatt hours, which can meet 10 percent-15percent local demand of Jordan for electricity.

Marwan Sudah, a China expert from Jordan, believed that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China and the various efforts it made to promote the initiative will change the development conditions of the countries along the Belt and Road, and bring about all-round growth and progress. (Edited by Yang Yifan, yangyifan@xinhua.org)

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Keyword: China-Arab-States-Cooperation-Forum

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