In an editorial today, “What Is the Significance of the Milestone of China-Arab Summit,” Global Times points out that both China and the Arab countries face similar “historical opportunities and challenges,” out of which emerged the decision to hold the China-Arab Summit that will take place for the first time on Dec. 9.
Nor, it says, have Arab countries completely freed themselves from geopolitical conflicts. They still have regional hotspots and have suffered the “severe impact” of the Western-backed Arab Spring. But unlike Western powers that come into the region with a superior attitude, China “shares the hardships of the Arab countries in the struggle for national liberation,” and there is a huge potential for cooperation. (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202212/1281285.shtml )
In a Dec. 6 op-ed, Wang Guanda, secretary general of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development at Shanghai International Studies University wrote that both China and the Arab countries “have supported each other in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism,” noting that during the 1955 Bandung Conference, China communicated with those Arab countries that had just received their independence, and Arab nations voted in large numbers for the 1971 UNGA resolution that recognized that the People’s Republic of China was the only legitimate representative of China at the UN.
Arab nations understand that China will respect their sovereignty and not meddle in their internal affairs. So now the focus is on collaboration through the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative with the understanding that development will bring peace and prosperity. China has been involved in building many infrastructure projects—bridges, roads and hospitals in addition to increasing trade which has greatly benefited the Arab people. (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202212/1281219.shtml)
