Xi Emphasizes Deepening Tech and Financial Cooperation, Urges Justice for Palestine at China-Arab States Forum
Xi Emphasizes Deepening Tech and Financial Cooperation, Urges Justice for Palestine at China-Arab States Forum
China to expand import of non-energy products from the Arab side, especially agricultural products
On May 30, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF). The CASCF, established in 2004, is a multilateral cooperation mechanism designed to enhance and deepen relations between China and Arab states. Over the past two decades, the forum's scope has gradually expanded across various fields, fostering closer ties and collaboration between China and its Arab partners.
This year's forum was attended by a distinguished group of Arab leaders, including King Hamad of Bahrain, President Sisi of Egypt, President Said of Tunisia, President Mohammed of the United Arab Emirates, and Arab League Secretary-General Gheit. Additionally, leaders of delegations from 22 Arab countries participated in the event.
In the economic sphere, cooperation began with the Entrepreneurs Conference in 2005. This initial focus on business and trade progressively broadened to include energy cooperation in 2008, telecommunications in 2011, the City Forum in 2014, Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation in 2015, and the Beidou Navigation System in 2017.
The conference adopted three outcome documents: the "Beijing Declaration," the "China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Action Implementation Plan for 2024-2026", and the "Joint Statement of China and Arab States on the Palestinian Issue." Details have not been released yet, and I’ll update them after the release.(Update: Joint statement on Palestinian issue has been released, I’ve updated translation)
In his speech, he emphasized five areas of cooperation, these include:
Innovation framework: Establishing joint laboratories in various fields such as health, AI, green development, agriculture, and space technology. Enhancing AI cooperation to empower the real economy and promote global AI governance. Building a joint space debris observation center and a Beidou(Chinese GPS) application center and increasing cooperation in space missions and passenger aircraft.
Investment and finance cooperation framework: Setting up an industry and investment cooperation forum, expanding the China-Arab states interbank association, and accelerating industrialization projects in the Middle East financed by special loans and credit lines. Encouraging closer cooperation between financial institutions, welcoming Arab states to issue panda bonds in China, and inviting Arab banks to join the Cross-border Interbank Payment System. Deepening cooperation on central bank digital currencies.
Energy cooperation framework: Strengthening strategic cooperation in oil and gas, integrating supply and market security. Collaborating on new energy technology R&D and equipment production and supporting Chinese companies' participation in renewable energy projects in Arab states with a total installed capacity of over 3 million kilowatts.
Economic and trade cooperation framework: Implementing development cooperation projects worth RMB 3 billion yuan, accelerating negotiations on bilateral and regional free trade agreements, and advancing e-commerce cooperation. Encouraging Arab participation in the China International Import Expo and expanding imports of non-energy products, particularly agricultural goods, from Arab states.
People-to-people exchange framework: Establishing the China-Arab Center of Global Civilization Initiative, expanding the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development, and accelerating the creation of think tank alliances, youth development forums, university alliances, and cultural and tourism cooperation research centers. Inviting 200 Arab political party leaders to visit China annually and aiming for 10 million two-way tourist visits in the next five years.
He also emphasized the Palestine issue,
War should not continue indefinitely. Justice should not be absent forever. Commitment to the two-State solution should not be wavered at will. China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. It supports Palestine’s full membership in the U.N., and supports a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference.
I’ve attached the full translation of Xi’s speech here:
Source:https://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/gjhdq_676201/gjhdqzz_681964/zalt_682806/xgxw_682812/202405/t20240530_11314451.shtml
Further Deepening Cooperation and Moving Forward to Step up the Building of a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future
Friends,
It gives me great pleasure to attend the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. I always find it heart-warming to meet Arab friends. The friendship between the Chinese and Arab peoples is deeply rooted in our friendly exchanges along the ancient Silk Road, in our joint struggles for national liberation, and in our win-win cooperation in promoting national development.
China-Arab relations have kept scaling new heights since the beginning of the new century. At the first China-Arab States Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 2022, my Arab colleagues and I agreed unanimously to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era. China is satisfied with the progress we have made in delivering on the Summit’s outcomes. It will work with the Arab side to enhance the role of the Summit in providing strategic guidance for continued leapfrog growth of China-Arab relations. I am pleased to announce that we will host the second Summit in China in 2026, which will be another milestone in China-Arab relations.
Distinguished Guests,
Friends,
As changes unseen in a century unfold rapidly across the world, both China and Arab states strive to accomplish their historical missions of national rejuvenation and faster national development. Building a China-Arab community with a shared future is a strong statement of our common desire for a new era of China-Arab relations and a better future for the world.
China will work with the Arab side as good partners to make our relations a model for maintaining world peace and stability. In this turbulent world, peaceful relations come from mutual respect, and lasting security is built on fairness and justice. We will, together with the Arab side, respect the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, the independent choice of every nation and the reality formed in history, and strive together for solutions to hotspot issues that uphold fairness and justice and sustain peace and security.
China will work with the Arab side in the spirit of equality and mutual benefit to make our relations a fine example of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The Silk Road spirit is passed on from generation to generation. It keeps China-Arab relations abreast with the times to the benefit of the two peoples. In this interdependent world, we will further synergize development strategies with the Arab side. We will strengthen cooperation in key areas such as oil, gas, trade and infrastructure, step up fostering new growth areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), investment, financing and new energy, and embark together on an innovative and green path to prosperity.
China will work with the Arab side in the spirit of inclusiveness and mutual learning to make our relations a paradigm of harmonious coexistence between civilizations. In a world of growing diversity, more dialogue means less confrontation, and more inclusiveness means less estrangement. Peace, truth, integrity and inclusiveness are the common pursuit of Chinese and Arab peoples. We are ready to work with the Arab side to promote people-to-people exchanges, champion the common values of humanity, and create a stellar example of mutual learning among civilizations in the new era.
China will work closely with the Arab side to make our relations a model for promoting good global governance. The entire humanity shares one common future, which has become an inevitable trend. But deficits in governance, trust, peace and development are getting wider. This calls on us to improve global governance under the principle of “planning together, building together, and benefiting together.” We are ready to work with the Arab side to jointly champion an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and set a model of South-South cooperation on global governance.
Distinguished Guests,
Friends,
At the first China-Arab States Summit, I put forward “eight major cooperation initiatives” for our practical cooperation. Since then, the Belt and Road cooperation documents we signed have expanded to cover a full range of areas thanks to our joint efforts over the past one year and more. New progress has been made in scientific R&D and technology transfer. Trade and energy cooperation have scaled new heights. Small and beautiful livelihood projects are advancing in parallel with signature flagship projects. Cooperation in areas such as food security, green innovation and health is deepening and getting more substantial. Platforms for people-to-people exchanges and cooperation are functioning well. Early harvests have been achieved in all the “eight major cooperation initiatives.” Moving forward, China is ready to work with the Arab side on that basis to put in place the following “five cooperation frameworks” to step up the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future.
The first is a more dynamic framework for innovation. China will build with the Arab side ten joint laboratories in such areas as life and health, AI, green and low-carbon development, modern agriculture, and space and information technology. We will enhance cooperation on AI to make it empower the real economy and to promote a broad-based global governance system on AI. We also stand ready to build with the Arab side a joint space debris observation center and a Beidou application, cooperation and development center, and step up cooperation in manned space mission and passenger aircraft.
The second is an expanded framework for investment and finance cooperation. We are ready to establish with the Arab side an industry and investment cooperation forum, continue to expand the China-Arab states interbank association, and implement at a faster pace the cooperation projects that are financed by the special loans in support of industrialization in the Middle East as well as by the credit line for China-Arab financial cooperation. China supports closer cooperation between financial institutions from the two sides, welcomes Arab states to issue panda bonds in China, and welcomes Arab banks to join the Cross-border Interbank Payment System. China is also ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation on central bank digital currency with the Arab side.
The third is a more multifaceted framework for energy cooperation. China will further enhance strategic cooperation with the Arab side on oil and gas, and integrate supply security with market security. China is ready to work with the Arab side on new energy technology R&D and equipment production. We will support Chinese energy companies and financial institutions in participating in renewable energy projects in Arab states with total installed capacity of over 3 million kilowatts.
The fourth is a more balanced framework for mutually beneficial economic and trade ties. China will continue to implement vigorously the development cooperation projects with a total worth of RMB3 billion yuan. It stands ready to accelerate the negotiations on bilateral and regional free trade agreements and advance the dialogue mechanism for e-commerce cooperation. It welcomes active participation of the Arab side in the China International Import Expo, and is willing to expand import of non-energy products from the Arab side, especially agricultural products.
The fifth is a broader framework for people-to-people exchanges. China is ready to establish with the Arab side the China-Arab Center of Global Civilization Initiative, expand the size and influence of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development, accelerate the establishment of such platforms as the think tank alliance, the youth development forum, the university alliance, and the research center on cultural and tourism cooperation. China will invite 200 leaders of Arab political parties to visit China every year. We plan to work with the Arab side to achieve the goal of 10 million two-way visits of tourists in the next five years.
Distinguished Guests,
Friends,
The Middle East is a land bestowed with broad prospects for development, but the war is still raging on it. Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated drastically, throwing the people into tremendous sufferings. War should not continue indefinitely. Justice should not be absent forever. Commitment to the two-State solution should not be wavered at will. China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. It supports Palestine’s full membership in the U.N., and supports a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference. On top of the previous RMB100 million yuan of emergency humanitarian assistance, China will provide an additional RMB500 million yuan of assistance to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support post-conflict reconstruction. We will donate U.S.$3 million to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in support of its emergency humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
As an Arab saying goes, friends are the sunshine in life. We will continue to work with our Arab friends to carry forward the spirit of China-Arab friendship, build together a better future, and make the road sunny toward a China-Arab community with a shared future!
Thank you!
Update:
Joint Statement by China and Arab States on the Palestine Issue
On May 30, 2024, the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing. Both sides had an in-depth discussion on the Palestine issue.
Both sides believe that relevant UN Security Council and UN General Assembly resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2728, must be fully and effectively implemented. They should work together to promote an early ceasefire and end of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, and push for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestine issue at an early date. Both sides reached consensus on the following:
Both sides condemn Israel's continued violations against the Palestinian people. 125,000 Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip have been killed or injured, mostly women and children. The Palestinian people in Gaza are forced to suffer from deadly famine and blockade, cut off from all livelihoods. Residential areas, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and infrastructure in Gaza have been systematically destroyed, and thousands of Palestinian prisoners have been detained and abused.
Both sides condemn the attacks on Rafah and the bombing of refugee camps and the behavior of controlling the Rafah crossing.
Both sides oppose plans, intentions and actions to forcibly transfer the Palestinian people out of their homeland, which will bury the opportunity for peace in the Middle East and lead to the escalation and deterioration of regional conflicts.
Both sides demand the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution to achieve an immediate, comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, stop the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, ensure the delivery of relief supplies to all parts of Gaza, implement relevant Security Council resolutions, and enable life in Gaza to return to normal. Both sides condemn the US for using its veto power to prevent Palestine from becoming a full member of the United Nations.
Both sides support the provisional measures orders issued by the International Court of Justice on January 26, March 28 and May 24, 2024 in the case brought by South Africa against Israel for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. They believe that Israel should abide by relevant legal provisions, especially international humanitarian law. Both sides stress that Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Arab side stresses that the resolutions made at the Arab-Islamic Countries Joint Special Summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023 should be implemented, including breaking Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and enabling humanitarian relief supplies provided by Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to immediately enter the north and south of Gaza from sea, land and air. The Chinese side expresses understanding.
Both sides stress that peace, security and stability cannot be achieved in the region without ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories with East Jerusalem as its capital, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the occupied Lebanese territories. They call on the international community to take irreversible measures to promote the independence of Palestine and achieve a political solution on the basis of international law and relevant international resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 497 (1981), 1515 (2003) and 2334 (2016), as well as the full content and key points of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable legitimate rights, including the right to self-determination, the right to establish an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees as stipulated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948). They support Palestine in becoming a full member state of the United Nations. Both sides reaffirm that the "two-state solution" is the only realistic way out to resolve the Palestine issue.
Both sides call for convening a larger-scale, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference as soon as possible to launch an authoritative peace process on the basis of recognized international principles. The above process should be carried out within a determined time frame and under international guarantees until the end of Israel's occupation of the 1967 Palestinian occupied territories including East Jerusalem, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and the remaining Lebanese occupied territories.
Both sides support the Palestinian government in performing its duties in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in accordance with recognized international principles. The Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the State of Palestine. Both sides stress their support for the Palestinian government's relief efforts in Gaza. Both sides reiterate that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and call on all Palestinian factions to unite under the flag of the PLO and assume their respective responsibilities under the leadership of the PLO in a national partnership.
Both sides welcome the adoption of resolution A/RES/ES-10/23 by the UN General Assembly on May 10, 2024. The resolution affirms that the State of Palestine is eligible to become a full member of the United Nations, requests the Security Council to reconsider supporting Palestine's accession to the United Nations, and grants more privileges to the State of Palestine.
Both sides call for supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to prevent it from being shut down. They welcome the resumption of funding to the agency by some countries and call on countries that have frozen funding to restore their support for the agency. They welcome the results of the independent investigation of the agency's work, recognize the agency's neutrality and professionalism, and believe that the agency is indispensable and irreplaceable.
Both sides welcome the recent recognition of the State of Palestine by many countries, stressing that this is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people and a driving force for the promotion of international and regional peace, security and stability. They call on countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so as soon as possible.
The Arab side appreciates China's long-standing position in supporting the Palestine issue and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in bilateral and multilateral occasions, appreciates the propositions put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping on resolving the Palestine issue and the series of initiatives and propositions put forward by the Chinese side on the Palestine issue; appreciates China's adherence to justice and fairness on the Palestine issue and its unremitting efforts to promote the peace process; appreciates China's support for Palestine in improving people's livelihoods and developing its economy, providing humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and working to promote the State of Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations.
Both sides stress that Israel's unilateral measures aimed at changing the status quo of Jerusalem are invalid, support the Hashemite family's protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, and support its role in protecting the Arab, Islamic and Christian attributes of Jerusalem and maintaining the existing historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites. Both sides stress their adherence to the existing historical and legal status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Both sides condemn the continued promotion of targeted settlement plans by the Israeli government, which aim to change the existing historical and legal status of the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Both sides support the efforts made by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco as the Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee. Both sides stress the important role played by the Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee and the efforts made by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency under the committee.
Both sides support Egypt in taking all measures to deal with the impact of the violations suffered by the Gaza Strip, relying on Egypt's efforts to immediately, continuously and adequately transport relief supplies to the Gaza Strip. Both sides express their support for the measures taken by Egypt to defend its national security, and Egypt's national security is also a fundamental component of Arab national security.
Both sides support the joint efforts of Egypt and Qatar to promote a lasting ceasefire and enable life in the Gaza Strip to return to normal. Both sides support the role played by Egypt and Algeria in achieving reconciliation among all Palestinian factions.
Both sides appreciate the role played by Algeria and the United Arab Emirates as non-permanent members of the Security Council on issues related to Palestine, including their efforts to promote the adoption of Security Council resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to promote the State of Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations.
Both sides appreciate the call by the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar for immediate action to help all Palestinian orphans who have lost their parents and families due to the Gaza violations. They call on all countries and the international community to work together within the framework of relevant efforts of the Arab League to provide necessary medical and psychological support to orphans and amputee children.
Both sides appreciate Algeria's efforts in supporting the Palestine issue at the political and material levels, appreciate the positive efforts made by President Tebboune, especially in promoting the convening of the Palestinian internal reconciliation meeting on October 13, 2022 and the adoption of the "Algiers Declaration", which is a positive step towards achieving Palestinian national unity.