President Xi Jinping attended the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 9 December. In his keynote speech, Xi said China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil and liquefied natural gas from GCC countries, strengthen cooperation in oil and gas development and clean and low-carbon energy technologies, and make full use of the Shanghai Oil and Gas Trading Center platform to carry out RMB settlement of oil and gas trade.
Xi and the leaders of six GCC member states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain) attended the summit. Xi pointed out that China and the GCC countries should be partners in promoting unity, development, security and civilization. Xi mentioned the need to firmly support each other’s core interests and jointly uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, and China supports regional countries in resolving differences through dialogue and negotiation and building a collective security framework in the Gulf.
Xi listed the key areas of cooperation between China and the GCC countries in the next three to five years, including building a new pattern of cooperation in energy, promoting new progress in financial and investment cooperation, expanding new areas of cooperation in innovation and technology, achieving new breakthroughs in space and space cooperation and new highlights in language and cultural cooperation.
In terms of innovation and technology cooperation, China is willing to build big data and cloud computing centers with the GCC countries and strengthen cooperation in 5G and 6G technologies. China welcomes astronauts from GCC countries to enter the Chinese space station, and studies the establishment of the China-China Joint Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Center.
For the development of China-Arab relations, Xi Jinping proposed that the two sides insist on independence to safeguard common interests; focus on economic development to promote win-win cooperation; safeguard regional peace to achieve common security; and strengthen cultural exchanges to enhance understanding and trust. China is willing to work with the Arab side to build a common, integrated, cooperative and sustainable security framework for the Middle East, and urges the international community to respect the sovereignty of the Middle East people.
Xi highlighted the need to work together against “Islamophobia,” to cooperate on de-polarization, and to oppose linking terrorism to specific ethnic groups and religions. At the same time, he stressed that the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people cannot be perpetuated indefinitely and that the demand for an independent state cannot be rejected.
