Bilateral trade between China and Arab countries is growing rapidly and this growth is expected to accelerate even further in the next phase, said Ambassador Ahmed Mustafa Fahmy Hafez, head of the League of Arab States' China representative office.
The ambassador made the remarks in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the 7th China-Arab States Expo, a four-day event concluded on Sunday in Yinchuan City of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as he shared his insights into the growing collaboration between China and Arab countries.
Hafez noted that the launch of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in 2004 has laid the foundation for stronger ties and facilitated a growing number of joint projects.
"The Forum has brought the two sides closer and facilitated a growing number of joint projects. At that time, bilateral trade between China and Arab countries stood at around 36 billion U.S. dollars. By 2024, this figure had surged to 430 billion U.S. dollars -- clear evidence of the Forum's continued progress and the deepening of China-Arab relations. This achievement reflects the consistent willingness of both China and the League of Arab States to move toward each other with mutual trust and purpose," he said.
He also highlighted the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), proposed by China in 2013, as another milestone of China-Arab cooperation.
"Arab countries regard themselves as natural foundational partners of the Initiative, which they see as a modern extension of the ancient Silk Road. In fact, the League of Arab States became the first international organization to officially endorse and sign a cooperation agreement supporting the BRI," he said.
Hafez highlighted that China has achieved a qualitative leap in AI and in the transition from traditional energy to clean and renewable energy, and China's accomplishments in this area have made it a fundamental partner to Arab nations.
Arab countries have signed multiple agreements and launched numerous projects, particularly in renewable and clean energy infrastructure, with Chinese initiatives now present in most Arab countries, according to Hafez.
Looking forward, future China-Arab cooperation will focus on non-oil trade sectors such as AI and new energy, Hafez said.
"Bilateral trade between China and Arab countries is growing rapidly -- and this growth is expected to accelerate even further in the next phase. I believe the partnership between China and the Arab world in renewable energy and artificial intelligence is highly significant, and we should deepen our collaboration in these areas. This will also be a focus of our cooperation with China in the coming stage," he said.
China-Arab partnership soars to new heights with deepened cooperation: ambassador
