ALAMEIN: China and the Arab League (AL) hailed the bilateral ties featuring mutual support and cooperation, pledging to strengthen the China-Arab strategic partnership. AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit held a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Egypt, to exchange in-depth views on the China-Arab ties as well as regional and international issues, said a joint statement issued after the meeting.
China spoke highly of the great efforts by the AL general secretariat, under Aboul-Gheit’s leadership, to safeguard peace in the Middle East, promote regional development, and enhance the unity of the Arab world. And the AL appreciated the active diplomacy by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the important efforts made by China to help realize peace and stability in the Middle East, the statement said.
The development of the China-Arab strategic partnership and the level of bilateral cooperation and mutual support are satisfactory, the two officials said, vowing to push forward the partnership for the common interests of the Chinese and Arab peoples.
The statement highlighted the historic bond and strong friendly ties between China and the Arab states, while hailing the remarkable achievements made since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in 2004 and the forum’s role in boosting the China-Arab ties. The two sides stressed the necessity for a long-term cooperation with higher level and quality between China and Arab states, particularly in the fields of trade, investment, industry, transportation, energy, agriculture, tourism, culture, education, science, health, media, sports and so on. The importance of the China-Arab Data Security Cooperation Initiative was also mentioned.
The statement praised the China-Arab unity and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, while calling for more international cooperation in the fight, especially making joint efforts to localize production of vaccines and offset the pandemic’s repercussions. – Agencies
