Wang Yi Meets with Speaker of the Arab Parliament Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoomi

On August 29, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi met with visiting Speaker of the Arab Parliament Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoomi in Beijing.

Wang Yi said the first China-Arab States Summit was successfully held in Saudi Arabia and it has become an important milestone in China-Arab relations. China will continue to work with the Arab side to firmly support each other, increase exchanges on governance experience, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, enhance exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, promote the building of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and make the people of both sides become good friends understanding each other. China expects the Arab Parliament, as a body representing Arab public opinion, to make greater contributions to this end.

Wang Yi stressed that there has never been a "vacuum" in the Middle East, nor is it a backyard of great powers. The destiny of the region should be in the hands of the countries and people in the region. China will continue to stand on the side of peace, stability, and justice, stay committed to equality of all countries regardless of size, not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, promote greater democracy in international relations, advocate multilateralism, oppose unilateral bullying, support Arab countries in safeguarding their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support the early resolution of the Palestinian question in a fair and reasonable manner.

Wang Yi extended congratulations on the official accession of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the BRICS mechanism, saying that this will definitely enhance the influence and role of Arab countries in international affairs. China is ready to work with Arab countries to stay committed to achieving common development and prosperity, and enable the time-honored Chinese and Arab civilizations to make new contributions to human development and progress.

Al-Asoomi said that Arab-China relations are in a golden period. The Arab side regards China as a reliable and sincere strategic partner. The Arab Parliament firmly supports China in safeguarding its national reunification and territorial integrity, and highly appreciates and supports a series of important initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. The Arab Parliament is ready to encourage Arab countries to learn from and draw on China's governance experience in poverty reduction and other fields, and elevate Arab-China relations to a new height.

Al-Asoomi said that China always respects sovereignty and has never interfered in other countries' internal affairs. That has won the wide respect of Arab countries. Noting that President Xi Jinping has put forward a fair proposition to solve the Palestinian question, that China actively promotes reconciliation among regional countries, and that China supports the accession of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to the BRICS mechanism, Al-Asoomi said the Arab side highly appreciates and wholeheartedly thanks for this. The Arab side expects China to play a greater role in promoting peace, stability, and development in Arab countries and the world.