China, Arab states to upgrade ties at ministerial meeting

BEIJING - China and Arab states will discuss upgrading their relationship to a strategic level at a ministerial meeting to be held next week, said a Chinese diplomat on Thursday.

"China and the Arab states have decided to promote cooperation...and to establish a strategic cooperative relationship of comprehensive cooperation and common development, " said Song Aiguo, director general of the Department of West Asia and North Africa at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, at a news conference.

The fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum will be held from May 13 to 14 in north China's port city of Tianjin. It is to conclude with a communique and an action plan from 2010 to 2012.

China and Arab states began to describe their relationship as a "new partnership" at the forum's second ministerial meeting in 2006.

The fourth meeting, with the theme of deepening comprehensive cooperation and realizing common development, will be attended by foreign ministers and representatives from China and 22 Arab countries.

"Chinese leaders will participate in major events of the meeting, and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Libyan Foreign Minister Mousa Kousa and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa will co-chair the meeting," said Song.

China and Arab states have seen increasing cooperation in fields like politics, trade and culture. Trade hit almost $110 billion in 2009, about 100 times more than that of 30 years ago.

Since the China-Arab Cooperation Forum was established in 2004 when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, they had become closer, using the platform for dialogue and cooperation.

"China and Arab states both belong to developing countries and are facing the task of safeguarding national sovereignty and promoting economic development," said Song.

"They also share extensive interests on dealing with non-traditional security threats and pushing for a fair and rational new international political and economic order," Song said.

Song said the upgrading of China-Arab ties complied with the interests of peoples of the two sides.

Song stressed that energy cooperation was just one part of China-Arab trade ties, saying the cooperation based on mutual benefit was in the interests of both sides and was conducive to the stability of international energy market.