Chinese FM calls on China, Arab states to focus on four major tasks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, and Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, meet the press after the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, co-chaired the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) in Beijing on Thursday.

Foreign ministers and representatives of Arab countries attended the meeting, taking part in in-depth exchanges on accelerating the construction of a China-Arab states community with a shared future oriented to the new era.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that since the first China-Arab States Summit, significant progress has been seen in the construction of a China-Arab states community with a shared future, and China-Arab states relations have entered their best period in history.

To earnestly implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Arab states and the outcomes of the meeting, Wang said the two sides need to focus on four major tasks: enhancing strategic mutual trust and firmly supporting each other's core interests; deepening practical cooperation and promoting mutual benefits at a higher level; strengthening international coordination and working together to maintain the correct direction of global governance; and strengthening the construction of the forum and opening bright prospects for the China-Arab states community with a shared future.

All parties in attendance said that the Arab states and China share common principles and ideas, and have made common propositions. Mutual respect, sincere friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation have always been the main themes of Arab states-China relations.

The Arab states are willing to strengthen strategic coordination with China to achieve deeper strategic mutual trust, higher-quality mutual benefits, and higher levels of inclusiveness and mutual learning, they said.

The flags of Arab countries and the League of Arab States that were sent to the Chinese space station were displayed at the meeting, and they will be presented to the Arab states after the meeting as permanent reminders of the China-Arab states friendship.

The meeting issued the Beijing Declaration, the CASCF execution plan for 2024-2026, and a China-Arab states joint statement on the Palestinian question. During the conference, China also signed a number of bilateral and multilateral cooperation documents with the participating countries and the General Secretariat of the Arab League.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, co-chair the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, co-chair the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, and Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, meet the press after the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)