BEIJING, Dec 6 (KUNA) -- A Chinese official on Saturday lauded the continued development of his country's relations with Arab countries, while underlining the significance of promoting partnership between both sides in political, economic and cultural areas.
This came in a statement by Director General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of West Asia and North Africa Chen Weiqing while meeting Arab ambassadors in Beijing at the Kuwaiti Embassy in the Chinese capital, ahead of an Arab-Sino meeting mid-2026, the embassy said in a press release.
The Chinese official said Sino-Arab relations have developed to new levels, noting that the first Arab-Chinese Summit in Riyadh in December 2022, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Arab leaders, marked a key milestone in the strategic partnership.
He lauded Sino-Arab relations as being based on mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, pointing out joint Chinese and Arab efforts to maintain international peace and security.
For his part, Kuwaiti Ambassador in China Jassem Al-Najem stressed Kuwait's commitment to promoting Arab-Sino cooperation through effective participation in all bilateral forums and meetings.
He added that Arab-Sino relations have witnessed steady growth over recent years, affirming Arab commitment to supporting everything that could lead to reinforcing bilateral partnership.
Al-Najem also spoke highly of Beijing's efforts to achieve Middle East peace and security by means of backing international and multilateral initiatives targeting Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid.
The Kuwaiti ambassador said that his country looks forward to hosting the third Arab-Chinese Summit in 2030.
Estimates show that Arab-Sino trade exchange exceeded USD 407 billion last year amid mutual willingness to boost this figure. (end) mt