TAIPEI, China
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an international peace conference focused on the Israel-Hamas war and promised more humanitarian aid as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.
“As war is raging causing
tremendous suffering, justice can’t be absent and the two-state solution can’t
be shaken,” Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation
Forum.
He called on Arab states to
deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and
health care.
The summit attended by heads
of state from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia among others
was set to focus on China’s expanding trade ties and on security concerns
related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Beijing and the Arab states
back the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing
international condemnation after the strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah
in which at least 45 were killed over the weekend. The overall Palestinian death
toll in the war exceeds 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Beijing has long backed the
Palestinians and denounced Israel over its settlements in the occupied
territories. It has not criticized the initial Hamas attack on Oct. 7 — which
killed about 1,200 people — while the United States and others have called it
an act of terrorism.
However, China does have
growing economic ties with Israel.
“China’s priorities in the
region are primarily economic,” said Maria Papageorgiou, a lecturer in politics
and international relations at University of Exeter. “It wants to continue the
momentum established in recent years with Gulf states and expand its
investments, particularly in trade, technology (5G networks), and other cyber
initiatives.”
Additionally, China wants to
present itself as an alternative to the West and a more credible partner to the
region, one that doesn’t interfere in the nations’ domestic affairs nor exert
pressure, Papageorgiou said.
Present at the forum is
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who met Xi on Wednesday. The two
leaders signed a series of cooperation agreements in areas such as
infrastructure, technology and food imports meant to further their countries’
ties.
China has invested billions of
dollars in Egyptian state projects, including a Suez Canal economic zone and a
new administrative capital east of Cairo.
Investments between Egypt and
China amounted to around $14 billion in 2023, compared to $16.6 billion in
2022, according to Egypt’s statistics agency.
Also at the forum are
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan and Bahrain King Hamad.
The China-Arab States
Cooperation Forum was established in 2004 as a formal dialogue mechanism
between China and Arab states.
China is Tunisia’s
fourth-largest trading partner after Germany, Italy and France. Beijing has
financed hospitals and sports complexes in Tunisia, and its companies have been
contracted to build strategic infrastructure such as bridges and deep-water Mediterranean
ports.
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