China and Arab states should build peace, promote development, boost industrialization,support stability and partner people-to-people exchanges in the Middle East, President XiJinping said on Thursday.
Addressing the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, he said China decides its position onissues based on their merits and the fundamental interests of the people in the MiddleEast.
“Instead of looking for a proxy in the Middle East, we promote peace talks; instead ofseeking any sphere of influence, we call on all parties to join the circle of friends for theBelt and Road Initiative,” Xi said.
He added that instead of attempting to fill a “vacuum”, China seeks to build a cooperativepartnership network for “win-win outcomes”.
The president said there is hope in the Middle East and all parties should look for it bypursuing dialogue and development.
“The Palestinian issue should not fall into oblivion, and we must bring hope to thePalestinian people as early as possible,” Xi said.
Earlier on Thursday, China and Egypt signed 21 documents on cooperation, endorsing afive-year plan to boost two-way ties and pledging to co-build the trans-Eurasia Belt andRoad Initiative.
The initiative was put forward by Xi in 2013 with the aim of promoting commondevelopment along the ancient land and maritime Silk Roads.
Xi and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi also jointly unveiled the nameplatefor the second phase of the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone.
The zone has attracted many Chinese manufacturers by offering preferential policies.
Making the second stop on his three-nation Middle East visit, Xi arrived in Cairo onWednesday amid rising calls from observers for Egypt’s thirst for infrastructure andconnectivity development to be better addressed.
Sisi greeted Xi with a welcoming ceremony that included a 21cannon salute before theirofficial talks on Thursday morning.
Other pacts were signed in fields that included electricity, infrastructure, trade, energy,finance, aviation and culture.
Xi suggested that the two countries focus on cooperation in infrastructure constructionand production capacity and turn Egypt into a hub under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Xi said China is ready to take part in building major Egyptian projects such as the SuezCanal Corridor—a new channel parallel to the current canal—and the new administrativecapital city.
Sisi thanked Xi for inviting him as a guest nation leader to attend the G20 summit inHangzhou, Zhejiang province, in September.
The Egyptian leader said Cairo is ready to link its own development planning to the Beltand Road Initiative and boost infrastructure cooperation within the framework of theAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
An Huihou, a former Chinese ambassador to Egypt, said, “The top priority for theEgyptian administration is to develop its economy, expand employment and reinvigoratepeople’s livelihoods.”
An added, “The Egyptian economy has maintained growing momentum despite a numberof difficulties”. Annual GDP growth of 4.5 percent was reported last year.
Li Guofu, a researcher of Middle East studies at the China Institute of InternationalStudies, said that Egypt “has offered protocols of a very high level” in greeting Xi, who hadbeen accompanied by Sisi to many events during his visit.
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