China, Arab nations cooperation forum to be set up: FM

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 19, 2004

China, Arab nations cooperation forum to be set up: FM

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A cooperation forum between China and Arab countries is likely to be set up during Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming four-nation tour, an official with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

Hu will pay a state visit to France, Egypt, Gabon and Algeria from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4. During his visit to Egypt, Hu will visit the League of Arab States (LAS) headquarters and meet with LAS Secretary-General Amr Mahmoud Moussa.

The two sides will probably announce the establishment of the forum after a consensus on the founding declaration is reached, said Zhai Jun, director of the ministry's Department of West Asian and North African Affairs.

He said China and Arab countries enjoy good cooperation in economic and political affairs. Trade volume between the two sides topped 25 billion US dollars in 2003.

Zhai said future cooperation under the forum is likely to cover a broad range of fields including politics, economy and trade, culture, education, health and sports.

"China hopes the cooperation forum will serve as a new platform to further upgrade the relations between the two sides," he said.

He said China's new leadership attaches great importance to promoting the traditional, friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Arab countries as well as other developing nations.

This type of relationship is based on mutual understanding and support and has deep political foundation, he said.

He said the Chinese president will also announce China's policies on developing relations with Arab countries and developing countries during his visits to Egypt and Algeria.

It will be Hu's first visit to Africa as Chinese president.

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