China looks to strengthen Arab ties ahead of summit
Beijing has said it will not seek geopolitical self-interest in the Middle East, ahead of President Xi Jinping’s expected trip to the China-Arab Summit this week in Saudi Arabia.
In an official document titled “Report on Sino-Arab Cooperation in a New Era”, the foreign ministry stated the principles of China’s policies towards the region.
The report denied there would be any power vacuum left by the United States that China would like to fill, and reiterated Beijing’s stance on conflict zones, including Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan.
China would only support regional countries to work in solidarity to resolve regional security issues and support local people to explore their own development path independently and autonomously, according to the report.
“China has always believed that there is no such thing as a ‘power vacuum’ in the Middle East and that the people of the Middle East are the masters of the future and destiny of the region,” it said. “China has always played a constructive role in the region and never seeks any geopolitical self-interest.”
The report comes as the US pivots its strategic focus away from the Middle East and amid tensions between Washington and Riyadh. The China-Arab Summit is set to begin on Friday.
In return, Arab countries had supported China’s issues of concerns, especially regarding Muslim minorities’ human rights in Xinjiang, the report said.
While it highlighted China’s strategic focus remained on trade and economic cooperation, it also said Beijing had “upheld justice” on Middle East security issues. It said Beijing supported fair and reasonable resolutions through dialogue and consultation.
“China will strengthen communication and coordination with Arab countries to jointly promote political solutions to those issues,” the report said.
The country’s Belt and Road Initiative has been active in the Arab world with more than 200 major energy and infrastructure development projects under way. The report said agriculture, investment and financing, and hi-tech industries were key sectors for future China-Arab cooperation.
According to the report, China and Arab countries would support each other’s counterterrorism and deradicalisation efforts, and crack down on terrorist groups listed by the United Nations.
The summit is also an opportunity to work with Arab countries on climate change and cybersecurity, and to provide peacekeeping training to them while continuing to take part in UN peacekeeping operations in the region.