Why Is Arab League Delegation Visiting China Now?

Members of the general secretariat of the League of the Arab States are visiting China upon an official invitation from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, according to a statement by LAS released on Wednesday.

"The delegation is headed by Dr. Khaled bin Naief Al Habas, the deputy general secretary and chairman of the international political affairs, in addition to Dr. Mohamed bin Sadiq, the chairman of the Asia, Australia and Arab-Asian Cooperation Unit," the statement read.

The visit aims at discussing ways of boosting frameworks of joint cooperation and exchange of views on issues of mutual interests.

Moreover, the delegation will concentrate on preparing for the ninth edition of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum which is due to take place in Jordan mid 2020 at the ministerial level.

The Arab League's members visiting China met with several Chinese officials, most notably the Chinese deputy minister for Western Asia and North Africa.

On the sidelines of the visit, the delegation was convened with the incumbent president of the Arab Ambassadors Council, Hossam Al-Husseini, and tackled the topic of how to get the upcoming Forum's edition successful.

In July 10th, 2018, the 8th ministerial conference of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing; Chinese president Xi Jinping, Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Sabah, secretary general of the Arab League "Ahmed Aboul Gheit" and representatives from 21 Arab countries attended the conference.

The conference theme was “building ‘Belt and Road’ collectively, pursuing peace and prosperity and promoting China-Arab strategic partnership in the new era”.

The conference achieved several important breakthroughs in China-Arab relation.

China and the Arab states signed three important documents, consolidating traditional friendship and advancing cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The three documents, namely, the Beijing Declaration, the 2018-2020 Action Plan, and the Declaration on Belt and Road Cooperation, covered collaboration in nearly 20 areas, such as trade and investment, industry, energy and culture.

The documents also laid out major ideas for future cooperation between the two sides under the BRI.