Arab and Chinese leaders agreed on Friday at the conclusion of their first summit in Riyadh, on strengthening strategic partnership in all domains for a better future for their nations. "We confirm our common keenness to strengthen the strategic partnership between the Arab countries and China based on comprehensive cooperation and common development for a better future," reads the final statement of the summit. The leaders also voiced readiness to deepen Arab-Chinese cooperation in various fields through existing mechanisms within the framework of the Arab-China Cooperation Forum. On the Palestinian issue, the leaders called for finding a just and lasting solution to it based on the two-state solution, through ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem its capital. They criticized the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. They expressed appreciation of the four-point plan put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping to solve the Palestinian cause. They appreciated the Chinese endeavors to contribute to the spread of international peace and development, including the high-level dialogue for global development through the global security and global development initiatives. The summit statement reiterated firm commitment of the Arab countries to the principle of one China, their support for the People's Republic of China's efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, reaffirming that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory, rejecting Taiwan's "independence" in all its forms. "And supporting the Chinese position in the Hong Kong file and supporting the People's Republic of China's efforts to maintain national security and develop and perfect democracy in Hong Kong within the framework of one country, two systems. And appreciating the important efforts made to care for minorities on both the Arab and Chinese sides," added the statement. They affirmed the importance of concerted regional and international efforts to find political solutions to regional crises and issues in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and relevant agreements and references, especially the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen, and emphasizing the need to preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries, while emphasizing the rejection of interference in foreign affairs in these countries. They underlined the need for joint action to confront terrorist and extremist organizations that operate on their lands, and support the efforts made by Lebanon, Somalia and Sudan to achieve security, stability, development, prosperity, and combat terrorism, and support the efforts of the United Nations and the League of Arab States in this regard. The Chinese side affirmed its support for the Arab countries to solve security issues in the region through solidarity and cooperation, and its support for the Arab peoples to explore their own development paths with their independent will. The leaders voiced support for efforts to find a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis in a way that guarantees the fundamental interests of all parties. They also backed the international efforts within the framework of the United Nations to combat climate change, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement within its framework, and supporting initiatives aimed at achieving green development, including Saudi Arabia's Green Middle East initiative and China's Green Silk Road initiative. They emphasized the importance of the international community avoiding excluding major energy sources or neglecting investment in them, which leads to challenges in energy markets and an unequal impact, especially on developing societies and countries, with the need to adopt a "balanced approach" policy to promote global economic growth, which is closely linked to energy security and availability by taking advantage of various energy sources, and applying circular carbon economy solutions to reach zero neutrality and build sustainable communities. The leaders took note of the Cooperation Initiative between the League of Arab States and China on data security jointly issued by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the Chinese side, and keen to seize this opportunity to continue deepening cooperation and pushing together for global cyberspace governance. They backed efforts aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of the international system for non-proliferation, and stressing the importance of freeing the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction. They eyed closer cooperation to combat terrorism, condemning terrorism in all its forms, images and motives, and the need to combat it and not link it to any race, religion, nationality or civilization, uprooting its roots and drying up its sources, in addition to rejecting "double standards" in combating terrorism. They called for promoting dialogue among civilizations and respecting different cultures, rejecting claims of hatred, extremism and clash of civilizations between followers of religions and cultures, emphasizing opposition to Islamophobia in all its forms. They emphasized the importance of consolidating Arab-Chinese friendship at the popular level in various cultural, sports, tourism and media fields. — Agencies
