He called for a foreign peace convention for the war between Israel and Hamas and pledged $69 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza. He also pledged to donate $3 million to a United Nations company that provides assistance and relief to refugees from the Israeli-Hamas war.
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Beijing and Arab states are backing the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing foreign condemnation after its attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed at least 45 other people over the weekend. 36,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Public Health.
Beijing has long supported the Palestinians and denounced Israel for its settlements in the occupied territories. He criticized Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed about 1,200 Israelis, while the U. S. and others have called it an act of terrorism. However, China has developed economic ties with Israel.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, speaking at the opening ceremony, praised China for a swift ceasefire in Gaza and the status quo of an independent Palestinian state.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the opening rite of the 10th ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Arab Cooperation at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Tingshu Wang/Pool Photo AP)
“I call on all active actors in the foreign network to take up their ethical and legal daily jobs to end the outrageous Israeli war,” el-Sisi said. “I further urge the foreign network to take swift and decisive action to ignite and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli siege and counter any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands,” Sisi added.
In addition to addressing the war factor, the Chinese leader also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in regions such as trade, blank energy, space exploration and health care.
The summit, which was attended by the heads of state of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia, among others, was expected to focus on expanding China’s industrial relations and security considerations similar to those of the Israel-Hamas war.
“China’s priorities in the region are first and foremost economic,” said Maria Papageorgiou, professor of politics and foreign relations at the University of Exeter. “It needs to continue the momentum established in recent years with the Gulf countries and strengthen its investments, in trade, generation (5G networks) and other cyber initiatives. “
In addition, China needs to present itself as an option for the West and a more credible partner in the region, interfering in countries’ internal affairs or exerting pressure, Papageorgiou said.
Xi and el-Sisi held a bilateral assembly on Wednesday, where they signed a series of cooperation agreements in areas such as infrastructure, food generation and imports, aimed at strengthening ties.
China has poured billions of dollars into Egyptian state projects, a Suez Canal economic zone and a new administrative capital east of Cairo. Investments between Egypt and China amounted to about $14 billion in 2023, up from $16. 6 billion in 2022, according to Egyptian statistics. agency.
Tunisian President Kais Saied, Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and King Hamad of Bahrain will participate in the forum.
The Forum on China-Arab Cooperation was established in 2004 as a mechanism for formal discussion between China and the Arab States.
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China is Tunisia’s fourth largest trading partner after Germany, Italy and France. Beijing has funded hospitals and sports complexes in Tunisia, and its corporations have built strategic infrastructure such as bridges and deep-water ports in the Mediterranean.
The UAE also has a broad and developing economic relationship with China and has been criticized in the United States for the alleged structure of a Chinese military facility in Abu Dhabi.
In addition to China’s extensive industrial relations in the Middle East, China is increasingly seeking to play a diplomatic role in the region. In 2023, Beijing helped secure a deal that allowed Saudi Arabia and Iran to repair diplomatic relations after seven years of tensions in a past role reserved for longtime global heavyweights such as the United States and Russia.