BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese wisdom has played a leading role in promoting China-Arab relations and cooperation, an Arab official has said.
Ever since China's reform and opening up starting more than 40 years ago, especially after the launch of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) in 2004, China-Arab relations and cooperation have witnessed continuous development and yielded fruitful results in all fields, Mahmoud H. Elamin, head of the Mission of the League of Arab States in Beijing, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Within the framework of the CASCF, dubbed a milestone in China-Arab relations, both Arab states and China have seen multilateral cooperation being lifted to a new level in such fields as energy, health, technology transfer, environment, investment, humanities and journalism, said Elamin.
Chinese actresses perform during the opening ceremony of the third Arabic Arts Festival and the Year of China-Arab Friendship at Qinghua University in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 10, 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)
Citing the fourth Arabic Arts Festival held in China's southwestern city of Chengdu, the launch of the Arab-China Digital Library, and other practical cooperation as examples, Elamin praised the positive achievements in China-Arab relations and the frequent high-level exchanges between the two sides.
In particular, Elamin said, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which offers a better way for win-win cooperation and helps boost global development and prosperity and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, has been warmly received by all Arab states.
The BRI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is an inclusive and creative initiative that revives the spirit of cooperation in the ancient Silk Road, Elamin said.
By establishing a new cooperation mechanism, the BRI helps different economies to boost interconnectivity and realize a "leaping development" through a large infrastructure network, Elamin said.
The Arab official said that as the world is undergoing profound changes, Arab states could learn a lot from China in tackling challenges and finding their own ways of development.
China's tremendous achievements in past decades came out of the Chinese wisdom to which Arab states have attached great importance, he said.
Elamin voiced hope that Arab states and China will strengthen cooperation in the future, especially under the BRI, so as to benefit both peoples.
To foster stronger synergy of the BRI and the development initiatives of Arab states, the League of Arab States will actively carry out infrastructure and energy projects, improve investment environment, build bilateral and multilateral free trade zones, deepen financial cooperation, and promote intergovernmental and people-to-people exchanges, he said.
The organization is willing to work together with China to address global challenges and increase the representation and voice of developing countries, he added.
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