Xi pledges deeper China ties with Arab states, pushes 2-state solution for Gaza peace

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Arab leaders that the war in the Middle East "cannot continue indefinitely", while pledging deeper ties with Arab states amid a push by Beijing to court a region where Washington has long been a dominant power.

"The Middle East is a land bestowed with broad prospects for development but the war is still raging," he said on Thursday, as he opened the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum ministerial conference in Beijing.

"The war cannot continue indefinitely, justice cannot be permanently absent, and the two-state solution cannot be shaken arbitrarily," Xi said, in line with Beijing's long-standing call for the framework that envisages coexisting Israeli and Palestinian states.

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According to Chinese state media, Xi reiterated China's support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and called for a "more authoritative and more effective" peace conference on the Israel-Gaza war.

In his keynote address, the Chinese leader also said China was willing to work with Arab countries to deepen cooperation in fields ranging from oil and gas to trade and investment, as well as forge new areas of growth such as in artificial intelligence.

"China will further strengthen strategic cooperation with the Arab side in oil and gas and integrate supply security with market security," he said, adding that China was ready to accelerate bilateral and regional free-trade agreements.

China - the world's largest oil importer - is a key customer for the region's oil-exporting countries.

Xi said that China was willing to build China-Arab relations into a "benchmark for maintaining world peace and stability" and a "model of harmonious coexistence of different civilisations".

"In the face of a turbulent world, mutual respect is the way to live in harmony, and fairness and justice are the foundation of lasting security," he said.

"We are ready to work with Arab nations to ... explore solutions to hotspot issues in ways that are conducive to upholding fairness and justice and achieving long-term peace and stability."

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony on Wednesday for his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, one of four Arab leaders on state visits to Beijing this week to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony on Wednesday for his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, one of four Arab leaders on state visits to Beijing this week to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Photo: Xinhua>

Xi also announced that China would host the second China-Arab Summit - which he said would be a "milestone" in ties - in 2026. The first edition of the summit was held in Saudi Arabia two years ago.

The conference gathered top officials from the Arab League including Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Tunisian President Kais Saied and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Chinese foreign vice-minister Deng Li earlier this week said the attendance of the four Arab heads of state - who are all in Beijing for state visits - reflected "the wish of China and Arab states to unite and cooperate".

He said the conference would focus on expanding China-Arab cooperation, and a number of documents were expected to be adopted which would "make a common voice ... on the Palestinian question".

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit that China would work with Arab countries to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, calling the suffering of the Gaza people a "humanitarian disaster in the 21st century".

Apart from the Palestinian issue, analysts expect the Israel-Gaza war and trade deals between China and Gulf states to be high on the agenda.

Set up in 2004, the forum is a dialogue platform between China and the Arab League, with foreign ministers of the 23 countries taking part meeting every two years to discuss cooperation in fields including economy and security.

The forum this year came amid continued efforts by China to deepen ties with Arab countries. On Monday, Deng said China's relationships with many Arab states had achieved "leapfrog development", and strategic mutual trust had deepened.

"China and Arab states are both important members of developing countries and significant forces in the international community, shouldering the common historical mission of achieving national rejuvenation and accelerating national development," Deng said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

"The development of China-Arab relations benefits the people of both sides, and is also conducive to promoting peace and development in the Middle East region, which adds stability to the changing and turbulent world."

Earlier this month, Xi lauded China-Arab relations as being "in the best period in history", adding that cooperation between China and Arab states had yielded "fruitful outcomes".

The Chinese leader met Egypt's Sisi on Wednesday, and is expected to hold separate talks with the other Arab leaders on bilateral ties, as well as regional and global issues.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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