China-Arab cooperation continues to polish the "golden sign", in-depth | The heads of state of the four countries will visit China tomorrow, and the ministerial meeting will be held soon Zhu Weilie | China-Arab | Ministerial Meeting

This week, with a group of heavyweight visits and a grand event about to begin, China's diplomacy will enter "Middle East time."

From May 28 to June 1, the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates will be invited to pay state visits to China and attend the opening of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing on May 30. Mode.

At the important moment of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, what new impetus will be injected into bilateral relations by the visits of the four heads of state to China at the same time? How will the Ministers' Meeting continue to polish the "golden brand" of China-Arab cooperation?

At the beginning of the year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Egypt, Tunisia and other countries, marking the first foreign minister's foreign visit this year; now, the heads of four Arab countries "jointly" visited China and attended the opening ceremony of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum Ministerial Meeting, setting off a wave of high-level exchanges between China and Arab states this year. climax.

In the Arab League composed of more than 20 countries, why are the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates visiting China this time?

Analysts believe that this is related to the fact that bilateral relations are at an important juncture, the four countries are highly representative, and the practical need to seek pragmatic cooperation.

First of all, this year the four countries and China all coincide with commemorative nodes in bilateral relations - the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil, the 10th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Egypt, and May 30 ushering in the 68th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia, and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia. The 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Afghanistan.

Moreover, this is the first visit to China by Egyptian President Sisi since he started his new term early last month, and the first visit by Tunisian President Saied since he took office.

Zhu Weilie, honorary director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University and director of the China-Arab Reform and Development Research Center, said that the visit of the four heads of state to China is of great significance and will chart the direction and provide strategic guidance for the next development of bilateral relations.

Secondly, the four countries are distinctly representative among Arab countries.

From a geographical perspective, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are from the Gulf region, and Egypt and Tunisia are from North Africa.

From the perspective of status, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are not only important countries in the region, but also new members of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. Bahrain is the host country for this year’s Arab League summit.

From the perspective of relations with China, the four countries are co-founders of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and China have established a comprehensive strategic partnership. Egypt is also the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with New China.

"Judging from the four countries' geographical locations, relations with China and level of cooperation, this visit also reflects the characteristics of full coverage of cooperation between China and Arab countries and the principle of equality, regardless of size." said Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Fudan University.

Third, the simultaneous visits to China by the leaders of the four countries demonstrated the accelerating transformation trend of Arab countries from "looking eastward" to "going eastward."

Sun Degang pointed out that although Arab countries differ greatly in economic size and resource endowment, they all aspire to achieve economic diversification and sustainable development, and are all undergoing transformation and upgrading, especially the triple transformation of industry, green, and digital. In this process, in addition to hoping to continue traditional cooperation, we also hope to learn from China's more than 40 years of reform, opening up, and modernization experience.

Take the United Arab Emirates as an example. This will be the second visit to China by the President of the United Arab Emirates after attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022.

According to the UAE, during his visit to China, President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will attend the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the UAE and discuss with Chinese leaders how to further deepen friendly relations, strengthen economic cooperation and development Strategic docking and people-to-people exchanges.

Another example is Bahrain. According to Bahrain, the leaders of the two countries will discuss bilateral cooperation and the outcomes of the 33rd Arab League Summit. It is worth mentioning that China and Bahrain will also launch direct flights on May 28 to further facilitate personnel exchanges.

Zhu Weilie pointed out: "From the perspective of Arab countries, China's development path and model are very attractive. It is different from the Western development path and model. It does not achieve development through war, colonization, or establishing alliances, but through peace. Moreover, China supports the Arab The country must independently find a development path that suits its own national conditions.”

Another highlight of the four heads of state's visit to China is attending the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

The ministerial meeting is a long-term mechanism of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. It is held alternately every two years in China or the headquarters of the League of Arab States or any Arab country. Extraordinary meetings can be convened when necessary.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and China will host the 10th Ministerial Conference. This meeting is also the first ministerial meeting held by the forum after the first China-Arab States Summit, which is of great significance in building on the past and ushering in the future.

"The core theme of this year's ministerial meeting is to celebrate and commemorate the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. It will review the development achievements of the past 20 years and look forward to the future." Zhu Weili said.

Since its birth in 2004, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has established 19 mechanisms covering various fields and issued a total of 85 outcome documents of various types, promoting the formation of an all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging cooperation pattern between China and Arab states.

As the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has become a "golden brand" that promotes collective dialogue and pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, making important contributions to promoting China-Arab relations and setting a successful example of South-South cooperation.

In Sun Degang's view, after 20 years of development and the agreement at the first China-Arab Summit in 2022 to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era, the convening of this ministerial meeting means that China-Arab cooperation will be upgraded under the new situation.

"In the future, China-Arab cooperation will be more strategic and all-round, expanding from development to security, and from the region to the world."

Regarding the highlights of this ministerial meeting, the outside world is paying close attention to President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

Sun Degang pointed out that whenever it is China’s turn to host the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Ministerial Conference, Chinese leaders will attend the opening ceremony and deliver speeches. This time, the heads of state of the four countries will also attend. “This reflects the characteristics of China-Arab cooperation that adhere to the leadership of the heads of state, through top-level Design promotes both parties to carry out all-round cooperation in various fields."

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the opening ceremony, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will co-chair the ministerial meeting with Arab President and Mauritanian Foreign Minister Marzouk, focusing on implementing the leaders’ consensus, expanding China-Arab cooperation in various fields, and accelerating the promotion of a China-Arab community with a shared future. construction, and have in-depth discussions with the Afghan side on specific measures.

Analysts predict that planning for the next stage of cooperation and discussing ways to resolve regional conflicts will be key topics at this ministerial meeting.

Regarding the next stage of cooperation, Zhu Weilie is expected to focus on how to strengthen the docking of development strategies and jointly build the "Belt and Road" with high quality. In particular, it is worth looking forward to whether the China-GCC free trade area negotiations will make progress at this ministerial meeting.

"Preparing for the second China-Arab States Summit will also be a major highlight of the ministerial meeting." Zhu Weilie said that at the same time, the two sides will continue to promote the implementation of the "Eight Major Common Communities" proposed by President Xi Jinping at the first China-Arab States Summit. action".

Sun Degang predicted that the two sides will discuss how to strengthen cooperation in areas such as production and supply chains, clean energy, finance, and food security.

In the context of the Gaza conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli issue becoming the focus of the world, how the ministers spoke out during this meeting attracted attention.

Sun Degang pointed out that the crisis in Gaza continues to spill over and the humanitarian disaster is severe. As stakeholders, China and Afghanistan will work hard to cooperate to promote a comprehensive and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.

"It is expected that China will further promote reconciliation within Palestine, among Arab countries and among Islamic countries." Zhu Weilie said.

From the information disclosed in the briefing of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 27th, we can know that the results of the meeting will be considerable. By then, it is planned to adopt outcome documents such as the "Beijing Declaration" and the "Forum Action Implementation Plan from 2024 to 2026", and will issue a common voice between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue. China will also release the "Chronicle of Major Events on the 20th Anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum" to review the development history of the forum under the joint care and guidance of the leaders of China and Arab states.

From the holding of the first summit to the visits of the four heads of state to China and the convening of the Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, China-Arab relations have become closer and closer, which has also attracted close attention from the West.

At the briefing of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 27th, a question from a reporter from Bloomberg suggested that China’s increased activities in the Middle East in recent years are to fill the vacuum left by the United States in the Middle East, reflecting the increasing strategic importance of the Middle East in China’s eyes.

In this regard, Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li's candid answer broke through the narrow-minded mentality of the Western media.

He said, "China has always believed that there is no vacuum in the Middle East and that the masters of the Middle East are the people of the Middle East." China has worked hard to promote peace in the Middle East and has never been absent. Recently, a fundamental starting point for China's more active diplomacy in the Middle East is humanitarianism, fairness and justice, and peace and stability in the Middle East.

Currently, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, and new and profound changes are taking place in the Middle East. Sun Degang believes that under the new situation, close cooperation between China and Afghanistan is of positive significance to the region and the world.

For the Middle East, it will provide public goods, fill governance deficits, promote conflict resolution, and promote regional reconciliation.

To the world, China-Arab cooperation shows a new idea of ​​partnership without alliance and advocating a community with a shared future, which is different from the old model of the development of relations between traditional major powers and Middle Eastern countries such as "agent" and "sphere of influence".

At the same time, under mechanisms such as the Global South, BRICS, and the United Nations, China and Arab countries may cooperate with each other or with third parties to help solve global challenges and promote global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.

In the interview, Zhu Weilie mentioned that an Egyptian diplomat once said to him: "Arab countries have established many bilateral cooperation forums with India, Africa, the United States, Japan, etc., but the best one is China-Arab cooperation. Because the two sides not only cooperate and exchange "