China Boosts Middle East Peace Summit | Abbas | Middle East
Xinhua News Agency, Ramallah, June 14th - China Boosts the Middle East with Strong Peace Winds
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Weijian
Palestinian President Abbas arrived in Beijing on the 13th and officially began his state visit to China. Analysts point out that Abbas is the first Arab head of state received by China this year and another important guest from the Middle East region. Since Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of diplomatic relations under China's mediation in March this year, the Middle East has been experiencing strong winds and tensions. Middle Eastern countries are constantly strengthening pragmatic cooperation with China, and it is widely expected that China will make more contributions to promoting peace and prosperity in the Middle East region.
On February 12th, Palestinian President Abbas attended a meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Shen Jizhong
Inheriting the Traditional Friendship between China and Pakistan
During Abbas's visit to China, China and Pakistan announced the establishment of a strategic partnership. Abbas praised China as a trusted friend and partner of the Palestinian side, and on behalf of the Palestinian people, he sincerely thanked China for its strong support and selfless assistance in restoring the legitimate rights and justice of the Palestinian people over the long term.
Abbas's visit coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. China was one of the earliest countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine. For the past 35 years, China has been speaking up for the Palestinian side in international multilateral settings and continuously providing humanitarian and development assistance to Palestine. Nowadays, with the concern of the two heads of state, China Pakistan relations have maintained a good development momentum and political mutual trust has become more solid.
Abbas Zaki, Central Committee Member of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement and Minister of Arab Relations and China Affairs, stated in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that China and Pakistan are "closer friends than brothers.". Palestinian Assistant Foreign Minister Omar Awadala pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan 35 years ago, China's firm stance in supporting the just cause of the Palestinian people has never changed. Palestine has always regarded China as a "good brother and good partner" and looks forward to Abbas's visit injecting new impetus into the development of Pakistan China relations.
On September 4, 2019, citizens took photos in front of the logo of the 4th China Arab States Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Mangmang
Promoting pragmatic cooperation between China and Arab countries
Mazen Shamiye, former assistant of Palestinian Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, said that as the first Arab head of state to visit China after the first China-Arab States Summit last year, Abbas's visit will further promote the implementation of the outcomes of the China Arab Summit. Arab countries, including Palestine, need to continuously enhance cooperation with China, which is not only conducive to mutual development, but also helps Arab countries strengthen strategic autonomy.
In December 2022, the first China Arab Summit was successfully held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The summit released three heavyweight outcome documents and proposed the "Eight Common Actions" for pragmatic cooperation between China and Arab countries, laying a blueprint for deepening cooperation between the two sides. To implement the summit results, the 10th Entrepreneurship Conference of the China Arab Cooperation Forum was recently held in Riyadh. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal stated in his opening speech that Arab countries are "proud" of the achievements made in their partnership with China.
In recent years, China and Arab countries have leveraged their complementary economic advantages, and bilateral practical cooperation has continuously improved and upgraded. At present, 20 Arab countries and the Arab League have signed the cooperation document of jointly building the "the Belt and Road", and China and Arab countries have cooperated to implement more than 200 large-scale projects in energy, infrastructure and other fields.
Jordanian China expert and writer Samir Ahmed said that after the China Arab summit, the relationship between China and Arab countries has been elevated to a new height, presenting a new face. Syrian political analyst Usama Danula stated that the development prospects of China Arab relations are broad.
This is a photo taken on June 6th at the Iranian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
Contribute wisdom to peace in the Middle East
During Abbas's visit, China put forward three proposals for resolving the Palestinian issue. Samir Ahmed said that China has always upheld a just position in the Palestinian issue and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Palestinian people, and is committed to seeking a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, which will help achieve true peace.
At present, Middle East countries are strengthening strategic autonomy, and the Middle East pattern is undergoing profound adjustments: Saudi Arabia and Iran resume diplomatic relations, Syria returns to the Arab family, Qatar and Bahrain decide to resume diplomatic relations, Egypt and Türkiye agree to improve diplomatic relations and send ambassadors to each other. Egyptian political analyst Abdul Muhdi Mutawe believes that the landmark event of reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran indicates that China is beginning to play a more active role in the Middle East region. The conflict between Palestine and Israel is a hot topic in the region, and resolving this issue is an important condition for achieving regional peace and stability. China can play a greater role in the Palestinian Israeli issue in the future.
In the joint statement on establishing strategic partnership issued by the two countries, the Pakistani side highly praised China's global development initiative, global security initiative, and global civilization initiative. Saudi international expert Abdul Aziz Shabani pointed out that China's contribution to promoting peace and prosperity in the Middle East is evident and widely praised by the international community. The global development initiative, global security initiative, and global civilization initiative proposed by China are important public goods that China has contributed to the world, providing solutions for solving security challenges, development challenges, and cultural conflicts.