Arab experts, scholars laud Xi’s speech on Sino-Arab ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening of the eighth ministerial meeting of the ChinaArab States Cooperation Forum on Tuesday in Beijing, announcing that China and Arab countries had agreed to establish a strategic partnership.

Arab experts and scholars spoke highly of Xi’s speech, saying it was very encouraging.

Xi’s announcement at the forum that China and the Arab countries had agreed to establish a “Sino-Arab future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development” encouraged the Arab world, said Mohamed Farahat, head of the Asia program at Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

It showed that China-Arab cooperation stands at a new starting point in history, said Farahat.

Xi’s speech elaborated on China’s policies on Arab countries, drew a roadmap for bilateral cooperation, which has signaled that China-Arab relations have stepped on a new development stage, said Abdul Aziz, a journalism lecturer at the University of Iraq.

In his speech, Xi spoke of concrete cooperation between China and Arab countries in various fields, such as politics, economy, science and technology, and culture, and that was very uplifting, said Khalid Al-Montaser, a Libyan professor on international relations.