All 22 Arab countries now have become partners of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), under which they've initiated over 200 major projects with China. The continued success of China-Arab states cooperation is rooted in their shared aspirations for peace and prosperity, as well as a mutual respect for each other's civilizations and political systems.
by Xinhua writer Zhao Wencai
It was a breezy day in 750 A.D. when Abu Obeida, an Arab navigator, set sail from a bustling Middle Eastern port in Oman aboard a two-masted wooden dhow named Sohar. He journeyed east, and after months of treacherous seas, he finally reached the distant shores of Guangzhou, China.
He returned with silk, porcelain, and spices, opening the first trade routes between China and the Arab world. His daring journey inspired One Thousand and One Nights, a story told for generations.
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| Guests learn about a clean energy project at the sixth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Sept. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou) |
Today, the connection he forged endures, still enriching the bond between the two cultures over twelve centuries later.
After generations of efforts, China and Arab states now have cultivated an even closer bond. Since the 1950s, China has established diplomatic relations with all Arab states. With interactions featuring mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutual assistance and solidarity, China and Arab states have become good friends treating each other as equals, good partners pursuing mutual benefit, and good brothers sharing weal and woe.
On issues related to each other’s core interests and major concern, like the Palestinian question and the Taiwan question, China and Arab states have consistently shown solidarity and mutual support, emerging as an unbreakable force from the East — championing justice, resisting hegemony, and defending fairness on the international stage.
Economic and trade cooperation is a dynamic reflection of the burgeoning relationship. All 22 Arab countries now have become partners of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), under which they’ve initiated over 200 major projects with China.
In recent years, China has solidified its position as the main trading partner for Arab states. In the last two years, bilateral trade volumes have hit new highs, hovering around 400 billion U.S. dollars, a tenfold growth compared to twenty years ago. Nearly 2 billion people on both sides are benefiting from this pragmatic partnership.
Nowadays, practical cooperation with China continues to yield fruits across various sectors and nations throughout the region.
In Saudi Arabia, major cooperation projects have been launched, including the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company, the Sino-Saudi Gulei Ethylene Complex Project, the Chinese industrial cluster in Jazan Economic City, the Red Sea utilities and infrastructure project, 5G communications, and joint lunar explorations.
People-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to grow. Four Saudi universities have introduced Chinese language majors, and eight primary and middle schools now offer optional Chinese language courses for their students.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), projects epitomizing the pragmatic cooperation between both countries include the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone, the phase-II container terminal at Khalifa Port, the Etihad railway and the Hassyan clean-coal power plant. Additionally, the UAE consistently maintains its status as China’s largest non-oil trading partner and export market in the region.
The continued success of China-Arab states cooperation is rooted in their shared aspirations for peace and prosperity, as well as a mutual respect for each other’s civilizations and political systems.
Amid a world fraught with turmoil, conflicts and confrontations, the emphasis on building a China-Arab community with a shared future — setting aside differences, resisting external interference, and adhering to common prosperity — highlights the profound significance of the relationship.
From facilitating the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, to fostering reconciliation among Palestinian factions, and improving the lives of ordinary people across the Middle East by advancing the BRI, China’s role as a champion of peace and promoter of development is gaining increasing acknowledgment among the region’s inhabitants.
In the pursuit of national rejuvenation, China will continue to share its development opportunities, jointly practice true multilateralism, and together author a new chapter of pragmatic cooperation with Arab states.
With the long-lasting friendship between China and Arab states, the story about the ship Sohar is still unfolding. In 1980, another adventurer, Tim Severin, set sail from Oman in a replica of Sohar, retracing the route once navigated by Obeida.
Today, a monument stands in a park in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district, honoring the Sohar and commemorating Severin’s heroic voyage — a symbol of the resilient bond between China and the Arab states, which has navigated a millennium of history and continues to embark on new chapters.
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