Facing COVID-19 pandemic, China-Arab ties grow ever stronger

The 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held on Monday via video link, highlighting China-Arab solidarity in fighting COVID-19 as well as their consensus on advancing relations.

In his congratulatory letter to the virtual meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and Arab states have offered mutual assistance and staunch support to each other, and engaged in close cooperation since the COVID-19 outbreak, while stressing that under the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever for the two sides to step up cooperation and join hands in tiding over difficulties.

"I hope China and Arab states can take the meeting as an opportunity to enhance strategic communication and coordination, steadily advance cooperation in various fields including pandemic response, promote the building of the China-Arab community with a shared future to continuously go deeper and more practical, so as to better benefit the peoples of the two sides," Xi added.

Co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the meeting was attended by foreign ministers of the Arab League (AL) member states, along with AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.

AL chief Aboul-Gheit said in a statement that holding the meeting amid ongoing world challenges reflects the keenness of the Middle East and China, voicing confidence that the Arab-China relations will be lifted to a new level following the meeting.

FRIEND IN NEED

Two weeks ago, leaders of various political parties in the region attended the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue Extraordinary Meeting, during which a joint declaration was issued, hailing the mutual support in combating COVID-19 and envisioning brighter prospects for future cooperation.

Such a friendship was lauded again at Monday's ministerial meeting, during which Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the friendly ties between Arab countries and China are exemplary, as recently shown in their joint combat against COVID-19.

Noting that the two sides commit themselves to fighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said at the meeting that Arab-China relations have been growing stronger over time and have made good progress in recent years.

Indeed, amid the raging pandemic, China and Arab states have been fighting side by side, a welcome move from people on both sides.

When China was in the depths of its own fight against COVID-19, Arab states showed solidarity with China by voicing support and donating medical supplies. Some famous landmarks, including ancient temples in Egypt and the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, were lit up in the colors of China's national flag.

As the pandemic started to rage in the Arab world, China delivered much-needed supplies and shared its experience combatting the disease via video conferences with medical staff from 21 Arab states and sent medical experts to eight Arab states.

During their stay in Iraq, a group of seven Chinese medical experts built a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on Chinese donations of nucleic acid test kits and other equipment, and installed an advanced CT scanner at a quarantine center in a Baghdad hospital. The PCR lab has finished testing over 17,000 samples since its establishment at the end of March.

In Saudi Arabia, the worst-hit Arab country, a team of eight Chinese medical experts offered on-spot assistance. China and Saudi Arabia also signed a deal worth 265 million U.S. dollars to expand Saudi Arabia's COVID-19 testing capacity.

In its latest medical aid, the Chinese government delivered a batch of supplies to the AL on Sunday. Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary general of the AL, said the donation "reflects the depth of cooperation and friendship between the Arab League and China, especially in the light of the current circumstances and challenges the world faces."

"China has proven to be a true friend of the Arabs and all countries that have suffered from the danger of this pandemic, and I believe that the Arabs will not forget this great humanitarian stance from China," said Iraqi political expert Nadhum Abdullah.

Experts believed the ministerial meeting has shown again the willingness by China and the Arab world to strengthen cooperation in face of the pandemic.

The ministerial meeting was convened at "an important time under challenges that need further coordination and cooperation between China and the Arab states," said Ali Yousif, executive director of the Arab-Chinese Friendship Societies' League, an affiliate of the AL.

Lebanese expert Mahmoud Raya said against the background of jointly fighting COVID-19, the ministerial meeting has grown in importance, "as it brings Chinese and Arab officials in direct contact to discuss practical and effective plans to deepen cooperation in the face of this dangerous epidemic."

BRIGHTER FUTURE

Braving the challenges of the pandemic, China and the Arab world have been working to maintain projects related to the Belt and Road.

At the Central Business District site, some 50 km east of Egypt's capital Cairo, Egyptian and Chinese engineers and workers are working tirelessly to advance construction while actively implementing pandemic prevention measures.

Undertaken by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the project in Egypt's new administrative capital involves the construction of 20 towers, including a 385-meter-high skyscraper expected to be the tallest in Africa upon completion.

Ahmed al-Banna, Egyptian designer and consultant of the project, said the CSCEC not only ensured the project's continuous production, but also implemented effective anti-pandemic measures.

During the ministerial meeting, Aboul-Gheit said 19 Arab states have signed bilateral agreements with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Calling for more cooperation along the Belt and Road, Wajdi Makhamreh, capital market and investment banking expert and independent economist in Jordan, said Belt and Road projects "will help the economies of the Arab world and Jordan recover in the aftermath of the losses in light of the coronavirus crisis."

Ahmed al-Deek, advisor to the Palestinian foreign minister, sees the BRI as a "lifeboat" for poor countries through "creating investment projects capable of eradicating poverty."

Arab officials and experts said the joint fight against COVID-19 and the unswerving efforts in promoting cooperation in various fields have laid a solid foundation for building a China-Arab community with a shared future.

At the ministerial meeting, Youssouf said Djibouti welcomes the call for jointly building a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, adding that it is a timely proposal and that his country is willing to work with China to lift the China-Arab strategic partnership to a new level.

Nasser Bouchiba, president of the Africa-China Cooperation Association for Development in Morocco, said the joint fight against COVID-19 has given a new meaning to the China-Arab community with a shared future, and mutual help through the hard times will bring China and the Arab world closer.