A forum in Beijing on Thursday proposes global efforts to help develop clean energy and promote energy interconnection in Arab countries. The forum comes ahead of a gathering of Arab ministers in Beijing in two weeks. Wu Guoxiu reports.

Urgent need, huge potential. That's a consensus reached during this forum on developing clean energy and energy interconnectivity in Arab countries. This forum gathers government and private sector officials from China and Arab nations.

MAHMOUD H. ELAMIN, AMBASSADOR MISSION OF THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES-BEIJING "One of the most important things we are looking at this time, is how we can make use of huge resources we have in Arab world. We have tried to avoid all the bad results from the fuel, normal and traditional energy in polluting our skies and our air in the area."

The forum called for global efforts to promote the development of clean energy, and grid interconnection in the Arab region. That idea is in line with efforts towards Global Energy Interconnection or GEI, which China proposed in 2015. It's an energy system that's clean-energy dominant, electric-centric, and globally interconnected. That concept has been listed into the Belt and Road Initiative and United Nations 2030 Agenda.

LIU ZHENYA, CHAIRMAN GLOBAL ENERGY INTERCONNECTION DEVPT & COOPERATION ORGANIZATION "Arab states have already achieved some cross-border energy interconnection, and there is huge demand for energy in neighboring Europe and South Asia. The guideline for building energy interconnection in the Arab region is paying equal emphasis on domestic balance and electricity trading with neighbouring countries and regions."

Last year, China imported 157 million tons of oil from Arab countries, 37 percent of its total oil imports. But China wants to do more business with Arab countries in other ways.

LI CHENGWEN, AMBASSADOR CHINA-ARAB STATES COOPERATION FORUM AFFAIRS "We have a strong renewable production capability. Many Arab countries are interested in cooperating with us. Many projects are being discussed. Our solar and wind power equipment are entering the Arab market now."

Ambassador Li says energy cooperation will be one of the major topics during the upcoming ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum in July. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Beijing.