China looks to strengthen Arab ties as US pivots from Middle East

Name: China-built clean coal-fired power plant in Dubai completed
Uploaded: 2022-12-02T22:00:10.000Z
Duration: 55 s
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Foreign ministry releases ‘cooperation’ report ahead of expected trip to China-Arab Summit by Xi Jinping

Report denies China seeks ‘geopolitical self-interest’ in Middle East, aims to ‘uphold justice’ in regional hotspots

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China’s foreign ministry has released a “cooperation” report ahead of an expected trip to the China-Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia by Xi Jinping next week. Photo: Shutterstock

Liu Zhen

Published: 6:00am, 3 Dec 2022Updated: 3:13pm, 3 Dec 2022

Beijing has said it will not seek geopolitical self-interest in the Middle East, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected trip to the China-Arab Summit next week in Saudi Arabia.

In an official document entitled “Report on Sino-Arab Cooperation in a New Era”, China’s foreign ministry stated the principles of China’s policies towards the region.

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China-built clean coal-fired power plant in Dubai completed

The report denied there would be any power vacuum left by the United States that China would like to fill, and reiterated Beijing’s stances on conflict zones, including Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan.

China would only support regional countries to work in solidarity to resolve regional security issues and support local people to explore their own development path independently and autonomously, according to the report released on Thursday.

“China has always believed that there is no such thing as a ‘power vacuum’ in the Middle East and that the people of the Middle East are the masters of the future and destiny of the region,” it said.

“China has always played a constructive role in the region and never seeks any geopolitical self-interest.”