BRI deal boosts cooperation between China, Arab states

Beijing has signed cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative with all 22 Arab nations and the League of Arab States, after such a deal was reached between China and Jordan last week.

The latest memorandum of understanding was signed by Chen Chuandong, Chinese ambassador to Jordan, and Zeina Toukan, Jordan's minister of planning and international cooperation, in the Jordanian capital Amman on Nov 29.

The ambassador said the signing of the memorandum will strengthen the alignment between the BRI and Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision.

"It will promote policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, thus providing an action guide for deepening practical cooperation in various fields," Chen said.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the BRI has become an important international public good and a platform for international cooperation that provides strong support for building a China-Arab community with a shared future.

"Looking ahead, China hopes to work with Arab countries to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation by building a route that leads to development and happiness for the Chinese and Arab people as well as affinity among them," Wang said.

Referring to China and Arab countries as "natural partners" to jointly build the BRI, the spokesman said the two sides have made remarkable achievements since the initiative was put forward a decade ago.

According to the ministry, trade volume between China and Arab countries has doubled compared to the figure 10 years ago, exceeding $430 billion last year.

More than 200 large-scale cooperation projects under the BRI framework have been implemented, with its results benefiting 2 billion people on both sides.