Spotlight: Xi's speech at Arab League charts course for China-Arab cooperation

The resounding speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the headquarters of the Arab League offers an alternative approach to regional predicaments and charts the course for future development of friendly cooperation between China and Arab countries.

DIALOGUE AND DEVELOPMENT

In his address, Xi urged Middle East countries to resolve their differences through dialogue and tackle the various thorny issues through development.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while summarizing Xi's Middle East trip, said the "China solution" proposed by the Chinese president, which takes peace and development as the core, targets both the symptoms and root causes of the Middle East quagmire.

Wang noted that China's diplomatic principles such as respect for sovereignty and non-interference have won unanimous appreciation across the region.

Xue Qingguo, a councilor at the Center for China-Arab Cooperation Forum Studies, said China has always been an advocator for resolving disputes via political dialogue instead of using force.

For example, China has played a unique role in helping bring about a landmark deal regarding Iran's nuclear issue, he said.

"As President Xi has pointed out, development is the ultimate answer to many of the region's current difficulties," said Xue.

China's invitation for Arab nations to take part in the "Belt and Road" initiative will help with economic development, infrastructure modernization, and industrialization, said Xue.

Mahmoud Allam, a former Egyptian ambassador to China, hailed Xi's focus on development as a strategy for resolving Middle East problems.

"We should admit that many of the ongoing issues in the Arab world were the result of lacking successful development models that rally people behind their leaders," he said.

Xi's speech shows China's keenness on achieving security and stability in the Arab world and on the non-interference of foreign powers, Allam said.

The former ambassador added that Arab states, through their experiences with other big powers, see China as "one of the most reliable states" that they can trust and with whom they can cooperate.

AID PROGRAMS AND COOPERATION PROPOSALS

Xi said that the Chinese government has decided to pledge 50 million RMB (7.53 million U.S. dollars) to help improve the livelihood of the Palestinians and 230 million RMB (about 35 million dollars) for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya and Yemen as humanitarian assistance.

The Chinese leader announced loan programs in support of development in the Middle East, including 15 billion dollars of exclusive loans, 10 billion dollars of commercial loans and 10 billion dollars of soft loans, as well as joint investment funds worth 20 billion dollars.

He also put forward proposals to further promote China-Arab cooperation, covering energy, finance, high-technology, equipment manufacture, among others.

The measures Xi has proposed, while showing that China has given serious thought to align the "Belt and Road" initiative with development strategies of various Arab countries, will diversify China-Arab cooperation, said Tang Zhichao, a veteran researcher on the Middle East at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Meanwhile, Hua Liming, who has served as Chinese ambassador to both Iran and the United Arab Emirates, said that the region has a young and comparatively well-educated labor force and that production capacity cooperation with China will create more jobs and thus help eliminate factors leading to social unrest and instability.

"As President Xi says, China will neither look for proxies nor try to fill any 'vacuum' in the Middle East. It is a solemn promise to all in the Middle East, and it is also an unmistakable response to scepticism over China's Middle East policy," added Hua. Endi