ChinaandArabstatesarealldevelopingcountries.Combined,theyaccountforone-sixthoftheworld"slandmass,one-fourthoftheworld"spopulation,andone-eighthoftheworldeconomy.Therefore,theyfacethesharedmissionandresponsibilityofadvancingglobalcooperationanddevelopment.

Arabstatesarestandingatahistoricalcrossroads.Internationally,long-timeinterferencebyWesterncountriesintheirregionalaffairshasdeprivedthemofmanydevelopmentopportunities.Domestically,fragileeconomicstructuresandsocialturbulenceshaveplungedthestatesintoeconomicdistress.TheaverageGDPgrowthofeconomiesintheMiddleEastwasaround4.1percentin2021,belowtheglobalaverageforthatyear.Countriesintheregionfacemountingpressuretorecovertheireconomiesandensurepeople"slivelihoods.

ForChina,itisconfrontedwithseriousexternalchallengesandrisksinitsnewjourneyofbuildingagreatmodernsocialistcountryinallrespects.China"seconomyfacesgreatheadwindsastheUnitedStatesadoptsapolicyofstrategiccompetitiontowardChina,theworldeconomyisfluctuating,andtheCOVID-19continueswreakinghavocaroundtheworld.

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DuringhisvisitstoKazakhstanandIndonesiainSeptemberandOctober2013,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingputforwardinitiativesthatlaterdevelopedintotheBeltandRoadInitiative(BRI).Whenaddressingthegeneraldebateofthe76thsessionoftheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblyinSeptember2021,heproposedtheGlobalDevelopmentInitiative(GDI).BRIandGDIareacontinuityofhisconceptionofbuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind,andofferpossiblesolutionstothedifficultiesfacinghumanity.

ArabstateshaveactivelysupportedandparticipatedintheseinitiativesproposedbyChina.Byearly2022,20ofthemhadsignedagreementsoncooperationwithChinaundertheBRI,aligningtheinitiativewiththeirnationaldevelopmentplans,suchasvision2030plansofEgypt,SaudiArabia,theUnitedArabEmirates,QatarandBahrain,Jordan2025,Algeria"sVision2035,Morocco"sMohammedVITangierTechCityProject,andIraq"sreconstructionlistof157projects.MarkedprogresshassincebeenmadeinSino-Arabcooperationinthefieldsoffinancialconnectivity,nuclearenergy,newenergy,andaerospace,andinthedevelopmentofaHealthSilkRoad.

InsupportoftheGDI,multipleArabstateshavejoinedtheGroupofFriendsoftheGDI.OnMay10,2022,theChina-ArabFriendshipOrganizationDialogue,co-hostedbytheChinesePeople"sAssociationforFriendshipwithForeignCountriesandtheFederationofArab-ChinaFriendshipAssociations,adoptedadeclaration,callingforpartiesconcernedtoactontheGDI,safeguardworldpeacewithpracticalactions,andupholdthecommoninterestsoftheChineseandArabpeoples.

ChinaandArabstateshavemaintainedalongtraditionofsupportingeachotherondevelopmentissues.BackinDecember1963,thethenChinesePremierZhouEnlaiproposedthefiveprinciplesunderpinningChina"srelationswithAfricanandArabcountriesduringavisittothethenUnitedArabRepublic,asovereignstateintheMiddleEastfrom1958to1971.

Inthenewera,thetwosidesshouldfollowtheguidanceoftheGDItoenhancecooperation,advancecommondevelopment,andbuildaSino-Arabcommunityofasharedfuture.

Threeareasshouldbeprioritized.

Thefirstiseconomiccooperation.ChinaandArabpartnersshouldimplementtheGDIintheArabregionandadvancehigh-qualitycooperationundertheBRI.

Forcooperationonindustrialcapacity,ChinashouldincreasegreenfieldinvestmenttohelppromoteindustrializationintheMiddleEastandincreaselocalemployment.Forexample,ChinacancombineitstechnologicalstrengthinthephotovoltaicindustrywiththatofArabstatesincost,andincreaseproductionintheregion.

MoreeffortsshouldbemadetoadvancenegotiationsforfreetradeagreementswiththeGulfCooperationCouncil(GCC)andindividualArabstates.Theagreements,afterbeingsigned,willenhancetradefacilitationbetweenChinaandArabstates,particularlyinnon-energysectors.Onceestablished,theChina-GCCFreeTradeZonewillmakeRMB-denominatedoilpricingarealityandadvancetheprocessofinternationalizationoftheChinesecurrency.WithoilexportssettledinRMBandforeigndirectinvestmentinChinabyoverseascapitalsinRMB,ChinaandtheGCCwillbeabletoconductcooperationacrossthepetroleumindustrialchain.

Thesecondissci-techcooperation.ChinaandArabstatesshouldseizetheopportunitiesbroughtbythenewroundofscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionandindustrialtransformationtonarrowthetechnologygap.AccordingtoareportpublishedbytheU.S.-basedInstituteforScientificInformation,between1980and2019,theMiddleEast"sshareinWebofScienceindexedarticlesrosefromtwopercenttoeightpercent,withhalfcomingfromresearchersofSaudiArabia,Egypt,Tunisia,Algeria,andtheUnitedArabEmirates.Meanwhile,China"ssharesoaredfromshyofonepercentto25percent.

Withsuchremarkableprogressinscienceandtechnologyonbothsides,ChinaandArabstatesshouldstepuptechnologytransferandinnovationcooperationundertheBeltandRoadScience,TechnologyandInnovationCooperationActionPlanandtheSino-Arabscienceandtechnologypartnershipprogram.Theseeffortscanspanthefieldsofinformationtechnology,modernagriculture,smartmanufacturing,environmentalprotection,andespeciallydigitaleconomy.

Thethirdisaboutexchangesofexperienceinstategovernance.ChinaandArabstatesshouldintensifyexchangesofexpertiseandexperienceinnationaldevelopment.Akeyreasonwhydevelopingcountrieshavebeenlaggingbehindindevelopmentistheirlackofindependenceintermsofinstitutions,education,andscienceandtechnology.Withoutadevelopmentpathfitforlocalconditions,manycountrieshavelongbeenentangledintheviciouscycleofpoliticalunrest,socialupheaval,andeconomicdebacle.

Ingeneral,developingcountriesareweakinsci-techinnovation,andhavetorelyonforeignbrainsforprogress.Exchangesamongthesecountriesare,therefore,ofspecialimportanceforadvancingSouth-SouthcooperationandaccomplishingtheUN2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment.

WhenaddressingtheHigh-levelDialogueonGlobalDevelopmentonJune24,2022,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingsaidthatChinawouldsetupaplatformforexperienceandknowledgesharingoninternationaldevelopment,aglobaldevelopmentpromotioncenter,andaglobalknowledgenetworkfordevelopment,forthepurposeofexchangingexperienceinstategovernance.

ChinaandArabstateshavebothgarneredextensivedevelopmentexperiencefromtheirrespectivetime-honoredhistory.Chinaistheworld"slargestdevelopingcountry.Withitsowndevelopment,Chinaofferspeerdevelopingcountrieswithanalternativepathtomodernization,andhasattractedgreatattentionfromothermembersofthedevelopingworld,includingthoseinArabregions.Chinaisreadytoshareitsgovernanceexperiencewithallotherdevelopingcountries.ItalsovaluestheexperienceofArabstates.Forexample,ChinacanlearnfromDubai"sexperienceinrunningitsfreetradezone.

Insummary,tothriveinaworldthatisundergoingchangesnotseeninacentury,ChinaandArabstatesmustenhancesolidarityandcollaboration,setagoodexampleforSouth-Southcooperation,andmakemorecontributionstohumanprogressandprosperity.

WangJianisdirectoroftheInstituteofInternationalRelations,ShanghaiAcademyofSocialSciences.

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