Arab Youth: China is a Trusted Friend (Observatory) Country | Arab | Youth
Recently, Dubai public relations company ASDA'ABCW conducted a public opinion survey on 3600 young people aged 18 to 24 from 18 Arab countries. The survey results show that 80% of respondents believe that China is an ally of their country and ranks among the top friendly countries. From this poll, it can be seen that more and more Arab people, especially the younger generation, regard China as a sincere, friendly, and trustworthy friend.
In recent years, many stories that have happened to Arab youth can serve as vivid footnotes to this poll result: in Morocco, Dina, a girl born in the 1990s, spread Chinese culture with authentic Chinese songs, becoming a "internet celebrity" who has attracted countless fans locally; In Egypt, Ye Haiya, a young teacher in the Chinese Department of Suez Canal University, is fond of Chinese literature and has translated and published a large number of Chinese books for over a decade; Jordanian boy Ai fell in love with China after studying in China and ultimately chose to stay and work in Gansu. He usually teaches his younger brother Chinese... This vivid image of Arab youth gradually approaching China and falling in love with China reflects an increasingly clear trend - the Arab people's liking for China is constantly increasing.
Multiple international poll results support this trend. In addition to the latest poll by Dubai Public Relations, a survey conducted by the independent research network "Arab Barometer" at Princeton University from October 2021 to April 2022 in nine Arab countries including Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Sudan also showed that China's favorability among Arab citizens was higher than that of the United States.
Why does this growing favoritism towards China come about? Newsweek reported that the poll leader of the "Arab Barometer" said that China, which has no disputes with the Middle East and North Africa countries, not only does not interfere in local political affairs, but also improves the economic and people's livelihood of the region by jointly building the "the Belt and Road", which makes the local people refreshing.
It can be said that the goodwill of the people of Arab countries towards China has a profound historical foundation and strong practical support.
Looking back at history, although China and Afghanistan are far apart, friendly exchanges have a long and deeply rooted history. From the exchange of needed goods on the ancient Silk Road, to fighting side by side for national independence and people's liberation, from hand in hand cooperation in the development and construction of their respective countries, to mutual benefit and win-win results in the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", China and Arab countries have always stood on guard and helped each other, equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning, and forged deep brotherhood.
In the past decade, the pace of communication between China and Arab countries has accelerated, and civil exchanges have become increasingly popular. Nowadays, in Arab countries, Chinese made mobile phones, cars and other products are widely favored by consumers, and learning Chinese has become an enduring trend. In China, more and more Arab faces are coming to study, do business, and seek opportunities for cooperation in various fields, and many of them consider China as their second hometown.
Behind this, China has always upheld a sincere, candid, equal, and friendly attitude, supporting the efforts of Arab countries to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, never interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, never attaching any political conditions, and never seeking any political self-interest; It is a major achievement of Chinese path to modernization that makes Arab countries that have vigorously promoted economic diversification and transformation in recent years look forward to learning from China's experience, and believe that embracing China can have more development opportunities; It is China that continues to expand high-level opening up, promotes high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" with Arab countries, implements the global development initiative, and carries out practical cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, energy, infrastructure construction, agriculture, and high-tech, so as to achieve common progress and development, and let the people of Arab countries benefit from it. As Saudi China expert Abdul Aziz Shabani has said, China has always been a sincere and trustworthy friend of Arab countries.
Now, China Arab relations have entered a new era of comprehensive deepening and development. At the first China Arab Summit held at the end of last year, China proposed to work together with the Arab side to promote the "Eight Common Actions" in the next 3 to 5 years, covering areas such as supporting development, food security, health, green innovation, energy security, dialogue among civilizations, youth growth, and security and stability, further enriching and improving the "four pillars" of practical cooperation between China and Arab countries. Believe in the future, as cooperation in various fields between China and Arab countries deepens and solidifies, the Chinese and Arab people will also further get closer and work together to write more stories of friendship and mutual understanding.
