Deepen China-Arab ties to seek common development

The world is undergoing major development, major changes and major adjustments. There is a profound shift in the international balance of power. The global economic governance system faces deep reforms. And a profound transformation of the world economic structure is in the making. On the one hand, the trend of our times toward peace, development and cooperation gathers stronger momentum. On the other hand, unbalanced development becomes more serious coupled with more pronounced global issues such as energy security, food security and climate change.

Major changes are taking place in the situation in west Asia and north Africa. We always aim in our policy to uphold regional peace and stability, the long-term and fundamental interests of Arab countries, and the larger interests of China-Arab friendship. We stand for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab countries. We respect and support efforts of individual Arab countries to handle their internal affairs independently. We respect Arab people's aspiration for change and development. We respect the purposes of the UN Charter and the norms of international law and we support the parties concerned in resolving differences through peaceful means. China pursues no selfish gains in the affairs of this region. We call on the international community and countries in the region to work together to play a positive role in defusing tensions. We will, as always, continue to give firm support to the just cause of the Arab people.

Under the new circumstances, China and Arab countries face rare historical opportunities to accelerate development and at the same time new, complex problems and challenges. The two sides share expanding common interests and a stronger desire for cooperation. To deepen the strategic cooperation and promote common development serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and contributes to world peace and development. It also conforms to the trend of our times. China is ready to take the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the CASCF as an opportunity to work closely with Arab countries for a bright future of China-Arab relations.

We should strengthen strategic cooperation and focus on deepening the strategic mutual trust between the two sides in the second decade of this century. We should increase high-level exchanges and strategic consultation, enhance mutual understanding and support, and engage in coordination and cooperation in major regional and international affairs in a joint effort to meet major global challenges and uphold the common interests of developing countries.

We should further tap the potential of practical cooperation and open up new horizons of win-win collaboration. We should increase our trade volume, regulate trade practices, improve product mix, raise the level of trade, and make every effort to bring our trade to $300 billion by 2014. We should expand our cooperation in such areas as agriculture, health, culture, quality inspection and energy, and set up exchanges in environmental protection, desertification treatment and other fields.

We should actively engage in people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation so that the China-Arab friendship will take a root deeper in the hearts and minds of our people. We should make full use of various mechanisms under the CASCF to promote cultural exchanges and dialogue between the Chinese and Arab people, encourage non-governmental organizations from both sides to scale up interactions and cooperation, and advance cooperation in education, science and technology.

We should push forward the development of the CASCF in an innovative spirit. We need to explore new ways of thinking and practice under the existing framework to improve and strengthen the mechanisms of the CASCF. Under the new circumstances, we need to open up new areas and nurture new growth points in our cooperation so that the forum can play a stronger role in growing China-Arab relations and lend fresh impetus to the expansion and deepening of the China-Arab strategic cooperative relationship.

To strengthen China-Arab friendship is the call of our times and the sincere aspiration of the two peoples. In his recent article on People's Daily, Dr Nabil ElAraby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, said "Given the strong desire of the two sides to intensify cooperation, the Arab-China relations will enjoy even more in-depth growth and broader prospects". China is ready to work closely with the Arab side to further implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and Arab leaders, keep pace with the trend of our times, hold high the banner of peace, development and cooperation and write a brilliant chapter in China-Arab friendship in the new era.