Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday said China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should strengthen counterterrorism and de-radicalization cooperation.

Wang said the two sides should jointly uphold "genuine multilateralism," promote the democratization of international relations and safeguard the diversity of civilizations during a meeting with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE in Abu Dhabi.

Describing the two peoples as good friends, good brothers and good partners, the Chinese foreign minister said China-UAE relations are built on a high level of mutual trust and deep traditional friendship.

The strong friendship and mutual trust between the two leaders have provided a strong guarantee for the continuous development of relations between the two countries, he said.

Wang said the development of the two economies is the growth of the world's peaceful forces and the embodiment of the diversity of civilizations, which will make the world more balanced, harmonious and colorful.

He said China is willing to work with the UAE to continuously innovate cooperation models, expand the scope of cooperation and demonstrate global moral responsibility.

"China fully supports the UAE in hosting the Dubai Expo and is ready to work with all parties to ensure the Beijing Winter Olympics a complete success," he said.

Commenting on the joint data security cooperation initiative between China and Arab countries, Wang said the agreement demonstrates the two sides' willingness to actively participate in the formulation of rules for the global digital economy.

Human rights are not defined by the West

The Chinese foreign minister earlier unveiled a five-point initiative for security and stability in the Middle East.

"China has put forward a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East, hoping that regional countries will uphold the spirit of independence, take ownership to explore a security architecture that meets the needs of the region and find a development path that suits the national conditions of the regional countries," he said.

Mentioning human rights, Wang said that a country's human rights situation shall be judged by its people, rather than other countries' opinions, especially since the Western view of human rights doesn't necessarily represent those of the international community.

"It's normal that different civilizations and traditions in different development phases lead to different understandings and emphases," Wang said. "This is why we advocate communicating equally and learning from each other on the human rights issue."

On his part, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE is ready to work with China to combat terrorism, especially to strengthen de-radicalization efforts and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.

He said that forcing others to accept one's own values is hegemony, and many developing countries have suffered such unfair treatment over human rights issues, adding that the country is willing to work with China on promoting and protecting human rights. 

Vaccination plan for overseas Chinese citizens

The Chinese people should be proud of China's remarkable development achievements and leading the way in the fight against COVID-19, Sheikh Abdullah said, adding that the UAE is also proud to have such a strategic partner as China.

Wang said that the two countries' cooperation in conducting the world's first phase III clinical trial of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine set a record for advancing multinational and large-scale clinical trials and made an important contribution to promoting international cooperation against COVID-19. 

The Chinese foreign minister added that China hopes to establish COVID-19 vaccination sites in qualified and willing countries as part of its Spring Vaccine action plan to inoculate overseas Chinese citizens with Chinese vaccines. The two leaders discussed a plan to set up a number of such sites in the UAE.

Sheikh Abdullah said that his country, as China's strategic partner, is willing to host such sites to facilitate COVID-19 vaccination for Chinese citizens in the UAE and neighboring countries, and is prepared for further detailed discussions.

The two sides also announced an agreement in principle on the mutual acceptance of health codes and attended the China-UAE launch of the cloud project to package active vaccine ingredients.

The UAE is Wang's fourth stop on a six-state tour that started on March 24. He visited Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey earlier this week. His next stops are Oman and Bahrain.

On Saturday, Wang met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, to discuss topics including China-UAE bilateral ties and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.