China-Arab States Ties: Top diplomats gather in Beijing to attend ministerial meeting

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02:50

Top diplomats from Arab states have arrived in Beijing to attend the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met some of them earlier today. Zhao Yunfei reports.

The day ahead of the big event is busy. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also the country's State Councilor, met with some of his counterparts from Arab nations ahead of the multilateral ministerial gathering. During his meeting with Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, the two diplomats signed an agreement of mutual visa exemption.

WANG YI CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER "Qatar is an important member in the Arab world. We highly value and support the development of our cooperation. China appreciates Qatar's contribution to our ties."

China and Qatar are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, and infrastructure have been carried out in recent years.

SOLTAN BIN SAAD AL-MURAIKHI QATARI STATE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS "Qatar and China have thirty years of diplomatic relations. In the past thirty years, bilateral ties have improved in many areas including the economy, politics and military. I hope that the two sides can further establish a better strategic partnership."

The two countries have also begun collaborations in finance and investment. The trade volume between the two countries rose to 8.08 billion US dollars in 2017. Meanwhile, Wang Yi also met Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir.

WANG YI CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER "Tomorrow we will host the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Saudi Arabia is the rotating president of the Arab League. I am very glad to co-host the forum with you."

China regards Saudi Arabia as a priority in its Middle East diplomacy. Beijing and Riyadh have reached broad consensus on bilateral cooperation in fields such as energy, finance and industrial capacity.

ADEL BIN AHMED AL-JUBEIR SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTER "Saudi Arabia supports the One China principle. We have the same consensus in many regional issues. I am looking forward to discuss current issues."

Since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, high-level exchanges between the two sides have become increasingly close. Political mutual trust has also continued to increase. Mutual respect and firm support for the core interests of each side are the basis of political cooperation. And this year, the focus is the Belt and Road Initiative.

ZHAO YUNFEI BEIJING "China says the ministerial meeting to be held on Tuesday aims to lay down concrete and workable road maps for China and Arab nations to develop the Belt and Road. Foreign ministers will discuss ways to boost their cooperation to a new level. Zhao Yunfei, CGTN, Beijing."