Xi's remarks on CASCF to promote brighter China-Arab shared future

Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Bouthaina Shaaban is a special advisor to the Syrian presidency. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In the opening of the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech worthy of long consideration and a dwelling on its direct and indirect remarks and visionary observations, not only for the Arabs and Chinese people who are directly involved but for the world at large, especially for those who are struggling to explain what is happening in Gaza and Ukraine.

In this speech, as in other speeches, Xi is reading the past and unraveling its important messages only to save the present ship from turbulent storms and chart a promising future for humanity at large. In this regard, he envisioned that the existing China-Arab friendship and the ties between Arab and Chinese people are rooted in the friendly exchanges of the ancient Silk Road, the fight for national independence, and the mutually beneficial cooperation for state building and prosperity for all. 

From this perspective President Xi moved to speak in detail about the best way to build a joint future for both Chinese and Arabs, embodying their aspirations to start a new era of relations, which would also help to create a beautiful future for the whole of humanity. 

In this regard, and for the sake of achieving these noble and difficult goals at the same time, President Xi stressed that only mutual respect may achieve a harmonious existence and rid us of the stormy world in which we live, adding that fairness and justice are the only bases for lasting security and peace. Peace and security should be guaranteed for all countries and people, and real respect should be paid to the UN charter and the independent choices of people, and the reality that has been formulated through the ages should also be respected. The cornerstone for a better world should be equality, mutual respect, mutual benefits, and the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations on the basis of peace, credibility, and forgiveness.

Regarding the Middle East, President Xi said that it is a land bestowed with broad prospects for development. But the war there is still raging on.

Nation-building and prosperity in Western opinion are only allowed for them or their ally states. Killings Palestinian people has proven that they have no respect for international law or even for what their students or people believe in or hold in high esteem. This has proven that Western democratic systems are not democratic at all and that money and armaments hold power keys in the West.

Perhaps that is why Western analysts failed to see the essence of Xi's speech. As one of them said, "Beijing sees the ongoing conflict as a golden opportunity to criticize the West's double standards on the international scene and call for an alternative global order." Another source said, "China has positioned itself in alignment with the Arab world and the broader Global South."

The Chinese President never neglects referring to the shared future of humanity while all that U.S. President Joe Biden and Western leaders talk about and work for is the security of their ally, Israel.

What is assuring is that Western logic looks and feels so hollow and pale compared with the strong, rooted, credible, and visionary logic of President Xi, who is convincing even to Western people and which has started to trouble Western governments and their hypocritical media empire.

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