BEIJING, 30th May, 2023 (WAM) — The UAE participated in the 18th Senior Officials' Meeting and 7th Senior Official Level Strategic Political Dialogue of the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum held in Chengdu, People's Republic of China yesterday. the UAE delegation was headed by Abdullah Matar Al Mazrouei, Director of the Arab Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Participants in the Forum discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Arab countries and the People's Republic of China in many fields and praised the depth of Arab-Chinese relations. In this regard, they stressed the importance of continuing joint coordination between the two sides to advance relations to new horizons, thereby contributing to further development and prosperity.
In his speech, Al Mazrouei highlighted the historical relations between the UAE and the People's Republic of China, based on a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has witnessed significant development in all areas, especially economy and trade. pointed out that the UAE is the top trading partner of China in the Arab world and the Gulf, and China was the primary global trading partner of the UAE in 2021.
Al Mazrouei praised the significant support of China for the UAE’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) and commended the results of the two-day visit to China on April 17 and 18, 2023 by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, as well as the two countries' mutual understanding in the field of climate action and keenness to discuss practical solutions to the issue of climate change. HE Al Mazrouei also praised existing cooperation between the UAE and China on various regional and international issues at the UN Security Council under the UAE's non-permanent membership for the 2022-2023 term.
For its part, the Chinese side appreciated the close cooperation and coordination with the UAE in several fields, including energy, tourism, culture, technology and innovation, in addition to the signing of memoranda of understanding in the field of space and navigation, and praised the success of the UAE's organisation of Expo Dubai 2020 and China's active participation in this global event.
At the end of the two sessions, the minutes of the 18th Senior Officials' Meeting Session were approved, which focused on the work accomplished within the framework of the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum in numerous areas since the 9th session of the Forum's Ministerial Meeting. The minutes of the 7th Senior Official Level Strategic Political Dialogue addressed a range of issues of interest to both sides and included welcoming the UAE's hosting of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).