Xi's attendance at China-Arab States Summit to be 'milestone': foreign ministry

President Xi Jinping's attendance at the inaugural China-Arab States Summit would be "an epoch-making milestone" in the history of China-Arab relations, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"This will be the largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing. "It will be an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations."

The first China-Arab State Summit was a joint strategic decision to strengthen solidarity and coordination, Mao said.

"We hope to build more strategic common understandings on major regional and international issues to send a strong message about our determination to strengthen solidarity and coordination, render each other firm support, promote common development and defend multilateralism," the spokesperson said.

China hoped the summit would provide an opportunity for both sides to usher in a bright future of China-Arab strategic partnership, she said.

"We hope to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era," Mao said.

(Produced by Yu Dian and Xie Runjia)