Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 8th. On December 8th, when he arrived in Riyadh to attend the first China-Arab States Summit, China-Gulf Arab States Cooperation Council Summit and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia, President Xi Jinping stated in the Saudi "Riyadh Newspaper". Published a signed article entitled "Inheriting the Millennium Friendship and Creating a Better Future Together".
The full text of the article is as follows:
Inherit the millennium friendship and create a better future together
President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping
With the profound friendship of the Chinese people, I came to Riyadh again to hold the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit with Arab friends, and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia.
This is a journey of inheritance, but also a journey of creation. The purpose is to carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Arab states, China and Saudi Arabia, and open a new era of relations between China and the Arab world, Gulf Arab countries and Saudi Arabia.
1. Thousand-year friendship has a long history
The exchanges between China and Arab countries can be traced back more than 2,000 years ago.
Since then, business travelers have continued to flow along the Silk Road on land, and the Spice Road on the Sea has flourished, and Chinese and Arab civilizations have flourished at both ends of the Asian continent.
China's porcelain, papermaking, and printing techniques traveled all the way west, while Arabic astronomy, calendars, and medicine came eastward.
We communicate with each other, inspire innovation, collide with ideas, spread the achievements of civilization exchanges all over the world, and write a historical story of the integration of East and West and mutual learning.
The exchanges between China and the Gulf Arab countries have been passed down through historical records.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty in China, Gan Ying was ordered to go on an envoy, "Looking at the Great Qin from the West Sea", leaving the earliest official record of Chinese envoys arriving in the Gulf Arab countries.
More than 1,200 years ago, the Arabian navigator Obaid set off from Sohar Port to Guangzhou, China. This legendary experience was interpreted into the wonderful adventure story of Sinbad, which is well-known.
In the 1980s, the antique-made "Sohar" retook the route opened by ancient Arab navigators, connecting the history and reality of friendly exchanges between the two sides.
Since ancient times, China and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed mutual appreciation and friendly exchanges.
The Prophet Muhammad once said: "Knowledge, even though it is far away in China, should be sought."
700 years ago, Wang Dayuan of the Yuan Dynasty of China arrived in Mecca and described Mecca as "the fusion of scenery, the spring of the four seasons, the fields are fertile and the rice is rich, and the residents are happy to work." literature.
600 years ago, Zheng He, the navigator of the Ming Dynasty in China, made many voyages to Jeddah, Medina and other places to spread friendship and enhance exchanges, which is still popular among people.
In the past few years, China and Saudi Arabia have jointly carried out archaeological work at the Sailin Port site. A large number of Chinese porcelains from the Song and Yuan Dynasties have been unearthed, telling the story of the friendly past between the two countries.
2. Unite and cooperate to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era
The Arab world is an important member of developing countries and an important force for maintaining international fairness and justice.
The Arab people advocate independence, oppose external interference, and are not afraid of power and hegemony. They are people who pursue progress.
Arab countries are countries with diverse resource endowments, distinctive industrial characteristics, and remarkable achievements in construction. They are countries with great potential.
The Arab civilization advocates peace and harmony, encourages tolerance and mutual learning, and opposes clashes of civilizations. It is a civilization with profound heritage.
Arab countries occupy an important position in world politics, economy and civilization.
Since the 1950s, China and Arab countries have successively established diplomatic relations. The two sides understand each other, respect each other, help each other, and stand together through thick and thin. They have become good friends who treat each other equally, good partners who benefit from each other, and good brothers who share weal and woe.
Entering the 21st century, China-Arab relations have forged ahead amidst the vicissitudes of the international situation, and the breadth and depth of political mutual trust, economic mutual benefit, and mutual learning between civilizations have achieved historic leaps.
In the past 10 years, China-Arab relations have entered a new era, and a series of landmark and breakthrough achievements have been made in various fields.
China has collectively established comprehensive cooperation, common development, and future-oriented strategic partnerships with Arab countries, established comprehensive strategic partnerships or strategic partnerships with 12 Arab countries, and signed cooperation documents on the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" with 20 Arab countries.
Seventeen Arab countries support global development initiatives, 15 Arab countries have become members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and 14 Arab countries have participated in the China-Arab Data Security Cooperation Initiative.
The Arab countries firmly support the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its core interests.
China supports the Arab countries in safeguarding their sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and has consistently and never absent its firm support for the Arab countries on issues such as Palestine.
Major projects such as the Jamma Grand Mosque in Algeria, the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, the new headquarters building of the Central Bank of Kuwait, the Danlowe Dam in Sudan, the heightening of the Roseles Dam in Sudan, and the Upper Atbara Water Control Project have been jointly constructed by the two parties. Become a landmark of China-Arab friendship.
China has opened 20 Confucius Institutes and 2 Confucius Classrooms in Arab countries, and more than 40 universities in China have opened Arabic majors, continuously cultivating new forces for China-Arab friendship.
After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and the Arab states have helped each other and supported each other, and carried out efficient cooperation in vaccine research and use, joint prevention and control, experience sharing, medical drugs, etc., setting an example of solidarity in fighting the epidemic.
Within the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the two sides have established 17 cooperation mechanisms to broaden the scope of cooperation and enrich the content of cooperation, which has effectively promoted the comprehensive and vigorous development of China-Arab relations and has become a model of solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.
The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and both China and the Arab countries are facing the historical task of realizing national rejuvenation and accelerating national development.
Under the new situation, China will inherit the spirit of friendship with the Arab countries and join hands to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era.
China and Arab countries will continue to hold high the banner of non-interference in internal affairs, firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice.
Continue to cooperate and jointly build the "Belt and Road", continuously expand practical cooperation in food, energy, investment and financing, medical care and other fields, and achieve higher quality and deeper mutual benefit and win-win results.
Continue to work together to implement global development initiatives and global security initiatives, inject more stability into troubled regions, and add more positive energy to the cause of peace and development.
Continue to jointly promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, transcend civilization barriers through civilization exchanges, and transcend civilization conflicts through mutual learning among civilizations, promote mutual understanding among people, and jointly build a garden of civilizations that share beauty and beauty.
3. Work together to establish a strategic partnership between China and Overseas
The GCC integration process has achieved remarkable results and is one of the most dynamic regional organizations in the world.
The GCC countries have outstanding geographical advantages and are the geographical hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe; they are rich in energy resources, with oil and natural gas reserves accounting for 30% and 20% of the world's respectively, which are the energy treasure house of the world economy; they are determined to develop and dare to be the first, It is a fertile ground for the development of high-tech industries.
For more than 40 years, the GCC has been committed to building "one market, one economy, and one financial system" and has played an increasingly important role in international and regional affairs.
For a long time, the relationship between China and the GCC countries has maintained healthy and stable development, and cooperation in various fields has a wide range, depth and fruitful results.
In the past 10 years, the relationship between China and the GCC has been flourishing and fruitful.
China remains the largest trading partner of the GCC and the largest exporter of petrochemical products.
In 2021, the trade volume between the two sides will exceed 230 billion US dollars, and China's crude oil imports from GCC countries will exceed the 200 million tons mark.
The traditional cooperation between the two sides in production capacity, infrastructure construction, investment and finance has been extensive and in-depth, and high-tech cooperation in 5G communications, new energy, aerospace, and digital economy is in the ascendant. The new business card of "smart manufacturing" and the new industrial landscape show the new development of China Shipping.
Facing the future, China will take the opportunity of establishing and strengthening China-GCC strategic partnership to consolidate traditional friendship and deepen mutual trust with GCC countries, continue to firmly support GCC countries in maintaining sovereignty, independence, security and stability, and continue to support GCC countries in accelerating integration construction and realize diversified development.
China will work with Haifang to create a new pattern of more three-dimensional energy cooperation, accelerate the promotion of new developments in financial investment cooperation, cultivate new highlights in humanities cooperation, expand new areas of innovative cooperation, and deepen the integration of interests between China and Haifa.
4. Make persistent efforts to promote China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new high
Saudi Arabia is an important energy exporting country in the world and a member of the G20.
As a strategic partner and sincere friend, China is pleased to see that the Saudi people, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed, are striving to realize the "Vision 2030", that economic and social diversification reforms have achieved positive results, and that the "Green Middle East" , "Green Saudi Arabia" and other major development initiatives have attracted much attention, and Saudi Arabia's status and influence in the fields of global politics, economy, and energy have been continuously improved.
We are proud of what good friends have achieved.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Saudi Arabia, bilateral relations have developed vigorously, and China-Saudi Arabia cooperation has made great strides forward in the past 10 years.
The two sides respect each other's sovereignty and development path, respect each other's history and cultural traditions, support each other in maintaining national security and stability, and carry out close strategic coordination.
Practical cooperation has developed rapidly.
From the Yanbu refinery to the Gulei ethylene petrochemical project, from the Jizan industrial cluster to the Red Sea public infrastructure project, from 5G communications to cooperative lunar exploration, major projects have been launched one after another.
People-to-people and cultural exchanges continue to expand. Four universities in Saudi Arabia offer Chinese majors, and eight primary and secondary schools offer Chinese elective courses.
The first TV animation "Kong Xiaoxi and Hakeem" co-produced by China and Saudi Arabia is widely loved by children and spreads the seeds of friendship between China and Saudi Arabia.
China will take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen its comprehensive strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, unswervingly understand and support each other, jointly advocate independence and self-reliance, and join hands to oppose external interference.
Strengthen the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative and Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030", promote practical cooperation in various fields to deepen and solid, and deepen the integration of interests and people-to-people bonds between the two countries.
Strengthen cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Group of Twenty, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and jointly practice true multilateralism, so as to make greater contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and promoting world development and prosperity.
In October this year, the Communist Party of China successfully held the 20th National Congress, and is uniting and leading the Chinese people to move towards building a modern socialist country in an all-round way.
China is a staunch force for maintaining world peace and promoting common development. China will unswervingly provide new opportunities for countries around the world, including Arab countries, with China's new development. Together with the Arab brothers, we will inherit historical friendship and create a better future together!