Heart-to-heart | Jointly writing a new chapter of development and continuing the "China-Arab love story"

Porcelain bowls with blue glaze, blue and white porcelain pieces printed with the patterns of "horse stepping on auspicious clouds" and "double deer", round square hole coins of different systems with metallic luster... These cultural relics displayed in the museum of Bahrain, a Gulf island country, tell the story of ancient times. The historical stories of trade between China and Arab countries via the ancient Silk Road.

In ancient times, "ships and ships followed the road, and merchants and envoys passed by each other." Now we are working together to open a new chapter of the Silk Road. On May 30, the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing. The heads of state of Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates visited China. In the 20 years since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, this is the third time that President Xi Jinping has attended the opening ceremony of the forum’s ministerial meeting, and the fifth time that he has made important policy announcements to the Arab world.

On the morning of May 30, President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing and delivered a keynote speech.

Today, China has signed "Belt and Road" cooperation documents with all 22 Arab countries and the Arab League, achieving full coverage and docking with the development strategies of many Arab countries. China and Arab countries have achieved tangible results in jointly building the "Belt and Road" and mutual trust cooperation. Heavy results.

The main stadium of the Qatar World Cup, which Chinese companies participated in the construction of, has hosted major events, the three Sudan dam projects undertaken by Chinese companies have "debuted" the background pattern of Sudan's 2019 currency, and popular Chinese dramas such as "Mountains and Seas" and "Ode to Joy" have become popular in the Arab world... …From the shores of the Red Sea to the shores of the Gulf, more new stories of working hand in hand are emerging, and the love between China and Afghanistan is continuing to be written.

Working together: "This place will get better and better"

The blue and white porcelain plate standing steadily on two supporting arms depicts 6 green leaves that are changed from the word "tian", surrounding them into the shape of Yimi flower, which represents "tenacity, faith, and miracle" in Egyptian legend. The base of the porcelain plate Carving two curves, representing the Yellow River in China and the Nile River in Egypt respectively - this sign displayed in the reception hall of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has witnessed the "highlight moment" here: January 21, 2016, President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Sisi jointly unveiled the second phase of the TEDA Cooperation Zone.

On the same day, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the League of Arab States headquarters in Cairo, pointing out that "this project will introduce more than 100 companies including textiles and clothing, petroleum equipment, motorcycles, and solar energy, and can create more than 10,000 jobs for Egypt."

On August 10, 2023, local employees worked on the dishwasher production line of a Chinese company in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Suez Province, Egypt.

"In TEDA, Chinese and Egyptians are one family." Ahmed Yahya, investment manager of Egypt's TEDA Special Economic Zone Development Company, said that President Xi Jinping's visit to the TEDA Cooperation Zone not only gave investors confidence, but also gave local ordinary people confidence Bring new changes and "you'll believe this place is going to get better and better."

Ahmed Radwan, CEO of TEDA Investment Company, has witnessed the development of TEDA Cooperation Zone over the years and is also a real beneficiary. "Since 2016, the TEDA Cooperation Zone has made great achievements and has become a model of pragmatic cooperation between Egypt and China," Radwan said.

As of April this year, TEDA Cooperation Zone has attracted investment of more than 3 billion U.S. dollars, with a cumulative total output value of more than 4.8 billion U.S. dollars, and the industry has created employment for about 70,000 people. Under the leadership of the heads of state’s diplomacy, the TEDA Cooperation Zone has gradually become a demonstration project for the docking of the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative and Egypt’s “Suez Canal Corridor Economic Belt”.

In 2014, President Xi Jinping proposed the China-Arab Belt and Road Initiative at the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which received positive response from Arab countries. In 2018, at the opening ceremony of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, President Xi Jinping emphasized that China is willing to strengthen the alignment of strategies and actions with Afghanistan and jointly promote the construction of the "Belt and Road".

From building the "123" cooperation pattern, to launching the four major action plans of jointly building the "Belt and Road", to proposing the "eight major joint actions", driven by the leadership of heads of state diplomacy, China-Arab cooperation in the new era is full of vitality and moving towards higher quality, Deeper mutual benefit and win-win cooperation continue to move forward.

Today, 19 institutional activities have been established within the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, covering many fields such as economy and trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges, technological innovation, medical and health, satellite communications, etc. China has been the largest trading partner of Arab countries for many consecutive years, with China-Arab trade volume increasing from US$36.7 billion in 2004 to US$398 billion in 2023.

This is the central business district of Egypt's new administrative capital under construction, taken east of Cairo, Egypt on June 28, 2023.

The central business district of Egypt's new administrative capital is beginning to take shape, helping Egypt realize its "2030 Vision"; the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and the key livelihood project of Kuwait's "2035 National Vision", the Mutrah housing infrastructure construction project, is accelerating the local "sponge" The pace of city construction; the Dubai Hasyan Power Station, a key project of China-UAE "Belt and Road" cooperation, will meet 20% of Dubai's total electricity demand after completion... China and the UAE have implemented so far within the framework of jointly building the "Belt and Road" There are more than 200 large-scale projects, and the results of cooperation have benefited nearly 2 billion people on both sides.

Seeking common development: "It has created many job opportunities for us"

In late May at Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates, the sun was blazing and the sea breeze was blowing. In the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park, the Chinese and foreign employees coming and going are full of energy and enthusiasm. In the center of the red and gray office building, a photo of President Xi Jinping and the UAE leaders during his visit to the UAE in 2018 hangs high in the center.

On July 18, 2018, on the eve of his state visit to the United Arab Emirates, President Xi Jinping mentioned the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park in a signed article published by the local media, pointing out that China and the UAE "have taken historic steps in industrial capacity cooperation."

This is the exterior view of the management and service center building of the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park, taken on May 21.

Nowadays, the supporting infrastructure of the demonstration park has been fully completed and is transitioning from development and construction to the operation and management stage. As a major project of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in building the Belt and Road Initiative, the demonstration park has currently contacted more than 1,000 companies, mainly involving petroleum equipment, fine chemicals, new energy and other fields. The park provides enterprises entering the park with one-stop services including real estate information, legal services, investment and financing, etc., vigorously assists enterprises to land as soon as possible, and contributes to the diversification of the local economy and the improvement of people's livelihood.

"These joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' projects have created many job opportunities for us and greatly improved our working environment and living standards. For this, I just want to say thank you." Mina, an old Egyptian employee of the demonstration park, said sincerely . He looked forward to more cooperation between Afghanistan and China, "which can provide more opportunities for young people in Arab countries."

Along the "Belt and Road", there are countless stories of China and Arab countries working together to develop and benefit people's livelihood. In Qatar, China's advanced technology and equipment help local farms grow vegetables and fruits all year round. In Oman, China's green and intelligent water-saving irrigation technology and equipment help ensure local water security and improve people's livelihood. In Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest energy storage project, Red Sea New City, will use clean energy to light up “thousands of lights”. In Algeria, the east-west highway stretches for 1,216 kilometers, turning a "road to death" into a "road to wealth." In many Arab countries, China's Beidou satellite navigation system provides high-quality application services and provides convenience to local people in fields such as transportation, precision agriculture, land surveying and mapping, and environmental monitoring...

On March 13, 2022, in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, people experienced new products at the Chinese brand OPPO mobile phone new product launch conference.

Specialty products from Arab countries such as Egyptian oranges, Syrian rose products, Tunisian olive oil, and Saudi dates are becoming increasingly popular among Chinese consumers, and "Made in China" products such as new energy vehicles, home appliances, and smartphones are also being introduced to more and more Arab countries. people family. The Chinese and Arab people are full of joy, embracing the fruitful present and looking forward to a better future.

Heart-to-heart connection: "We are best friends"

"I want to go to China to see giant pandas eating bamboo, and I also want to be a hero at the Great Wall." "When I grow up, I hope to become the UAE ambassador to China!" "Although China and the UAE are thousands of miles apart, we are the best friends!" On the eve of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, student representatives from the UAE’s “100 Schools Project” for Chinese teaching wrote letters to President Xi Jinping in Chinese, revealing their true feelings for China in every word. President Xi Jinping replied to the children, encouraging them to learn Chinese well, understand China, and contribute to promoting China-Arab friendship.

On May 27, Rashid Ali, a sixth-grade student at Hamdan School in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was interviewed by reporters.

Nasser Arif, former director of the Islamic World Institute at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates, said that President Xi Jinping’s reply letter reflects the great importance that Chinese leaders attach to developing Arab-China relations. In his view, Chinese education should be promoted throughout the Arab world “to strengthen Arab-Chinese cultural exchanges.”

In recent years, the "Chinese craze" in Arab countries has caught on the "Online Silk Road" construction express, and innovative Chinese education models such as online Chinese classes and mobile smart classrooms have attracted much attention in Arab countries. Li Shaoxian, dean of the China Institute of Arab Studies at Ningxia University, said that 4 of the 22 Arab countries have now incorporated Chinese into the national education system or opened Chinese departments, and 13 countries have built 20 Confucius Institutes and 2 independent Confucius Classrooms.

Chinese language learning has built a bridge of friendship between China and Algeria, and Chinese doctors have become “envoys of China-Algeria friendship” in the eyes of local people with their benevolence and skills. On May 1, Mablouka in Tunisia's Jendubai province suffered a sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest. When her life was hanging by a thread, it was the medical workers of the Chinese medical team aiding Tunisia who saved her life. After Mabluka regained consciousness, he gave a thumbs up to express his gratitude: "Chinese doctors treat us like family members."

On May 1, medical workers from China's medical aid team in Tunisia checked the condition of local patient Mabluka.

In 1963, China’s first foreign medical support team arrived in the Arab country Algeria. In Tunisia, over the past half century, China has dispatched a total of 28 batches of medical teams to Tunisia, providing diagnosis and treatment services to more than 6 million local people. The "cutest man" from China has gained the deep friendship of the Arab people with his boundless love.

"Mutual assistance is a distinctive feature of China-Arab friendship", "Equality and mutual benefit are the inexhaustible driving force of China-Arab friendship", "Inclusiveness and mutual learning are the value orientation of China-Arab friendship", in 2022, President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the first China-Arab States Summit The speech drew wisdom from history and for the first time summarized and refined the China-Arab friendship spirit of "mutual assistance, equality and mutual benefit, tolerance and mutual learning".

Khalil, director of the Health Bureau of Tunisia's Kendouba Province, said: "The medical cooperation between China and Tunisia, represented by doctors from the Chinese medical team in Tunisia, is a vivid reflection of this friendly spirit."

"The current China-Arab relations are at the best period in history" and "China is willing to work with Arab countries to continue to carry forward the spirit of China-Arab friendship and build a higher-level China-Arab community with a shared future." - On May 16, President Xi Jinping addressed the 33rd Arab pointed out in the congratulatory letter sent by the National Alliance Summit Council meeting.

The ancient destiny is deep, and the love is even longer. The people of China and Arab countries have jointly written heart-warming stories and will jointly create a bright future with a shared future for China and Arab countries.