During a recent tour of the Middle East, a senior Chinese diplomat reiterated his country’s resolute commitment to the fundamental principles of relations with the Middle East region, which include sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs, noting that such principles factor highly in helping developing countries navigate their under conditions of a turbulent geopolitical landscape.
The diplomat, Wang Di, Director-General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of West Asian and North African Affairs, put forward these remarks following a two-week tour that took him the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Turkey, and Egypt where he had in-depth exchange of views with officials of the foreign ministries of these countries on developing bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern.
During a press conference, organised by the Chinese embassy at a venue overlooking the River Nile in Cairo, Wang Di recalled the deep-rooted ties that bent China with the countries of the region, especially Egypt which was the first Arab and African country to establish direct diplomatic relations with China as back as in 1956.
Wang Di, who also travelled to Russia for director-level consultations between the two foreign ministries on the Middle East affairs, referred to an increased risk of geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East. “If left to escalate, the Ukrainian crisis,” he said, “would lead to dire and irreversible consequences, while countries of the region, especially Europe’s neighbours, would suffer directly from the flames of the crisis.”
The Chinese diplomat indicated that his country and the Middle East countries hold similar attitudes on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with the two sides tending broadly to prefer pushing for a cessation of hostilities, preventing war and rejecting unilateral sanctions.
China, he pointed out, stands keen to engage in joint efforts with the countries of the Middle East to use the advantages both sides enjoy to push for the settlement of differences through dialogue and to ease and de-escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He also highlighted the importance of giving priority to confronting pressing challenges in the areas of energy, food, and finance, in order to contain and avoid the negative effects of unilateral sanctions.
In this regard, the Chinese diplomat highlighted the role that can the Belt and the Road initiative can play in promoting the capacity of countries of the region to push forward their efforts for self-development.
He also highlighted the coordination in facing the Covid-19 Pandemic as an example of pioneering co-operation between China and countries of the region.
Seizing of the opportunity to highlight the growing bilateral ties with Egypt, the Chinese diplomat noted that China remains the largest trading partner for eight consecutive years, as the volume of trade exchanges between the two countries reached $20b in 2021 – an increase of 37% compared to 2020.
He also referred to China’s participation in Egypt’s mega projects in the New Administrative Capital and the Suez Economic Zone.
On his country’s stance on the Middle East peace process, Wang Di emphasised that China supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that enjoys full sovereignty, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border. In this regard, the Chinese diplomat recalled the Five-point plan that China had proposed for resolving the crisis.
Wang Di’s remarks can be seen as suggesting further joint action by China and Arab countries that can be defined during the upcoming Arab-Sino summit which is expected to uplift the China-Arab strategic partnership to a new level to serve the common interests of both sides.
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