China-Arab Community with a Shared Future: Mechanism-building and Development Prospects

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， multilateral mechanisms have become an important platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Amid changes unseen in a century， as a strategic pillar of the multilateral world configuration， Arab countries have seen their strategic independence increased， with ever growing international influence. In December 2022， Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia and attended in Riyadh the first China-Arab States Summit and the first China-GCC Summit. China-Arab cooperation， mutually beneficial in nature， has set a fine example of South-South cooperation. Seventeen cooperation mechanisms have been set up within the framework of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. The China-Arab States Summit plays a guiding role in the development of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in the new era. Mechanism building is of great significance and relevance for promoting the building of a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future.

Multilateral Mechanisms Continuously Improved for Building a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future

Both China and Arab states are developing countries. Both sides have been exploring a new model of interactions featuring equality and mutually beneficial cooperation， with a view to giving new meaning to the China-Arab Community with a Shared Future through institutional development. Through coordinating the efforts of over 20 ministries and departments as well as subnational and non-governmental forces domestically and those of regional and sub-regional organizations such as the Arab League， the GCC， and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation internationally， China has been pressing ahead with the improvement of multilateral mechanisms for building a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future， which fall into three large categories of comprehensive mechanisms， thematic mechanisms and composite mechanisms.

Comprehensive mechanisms can be represented by the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum guided by the China-Arab States Summit， with the purpose of promoting China-Arab cooperation across the board. The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum covers a wide range of areas including political， security， trade， energy and cultural cooperation. The Forum includes the biannual ministerial meeting and the Senior Officials’ Meeting， high-level Strategic and Political Dialogue， the Dialogue Conference between Arab and Chinese Civilizations， and the China-Arab States Forum on Reform and Development， etc.， of which the ministerial meetings have played a fundamental role.

Thematic mechanisms aim at promoting cooperation in specific areas， such as the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue held by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. In November 2022， the third China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue was successfully held， with the participation of representatives of over 80 political parties， organizations， think tanks and media outlets from 17 Arab states. Other thematic mechanisms include， among others， the China-Arab States Energy Cooperation Conference held by the National Energy Administration， the China-Arab States Information Cooperation Forum held by the Information Office of the State Council， the China-Arab Cities Forum hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， the China-Arab Solidarity Conference held by the Chinese-Arab Friendship Association， the China-Arab Beidou Cooperation Forum held by the China Satellite Navigation Office， the China-Arab States Women’s Forum held by the All-China Women’s Federation， and the China-Arab Health Cooperation Forum held by the National Health Commission.

Composite mechanisms refer to multilateral cooperation mechanisms with joint contributions from central and local governments as well as the civil society. Such mechanisms include the China-Arab Business Conference and Investment Seminar jointly held by the CPPCC， the State Council， the Foreign Ministry， the CCPIT， and local governments， the Arab Art Festival and Chinese Art Festival jointly held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism， the Foreign Ministry and local governments， the China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee， the National Radio and Television Administration， and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， the China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference jointly held by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， the China-Arab Expo is jointly held by the CCPIT， the Ministry of Commerce and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as well as forums under its umbrella including the China-Arab Agricultural Cooperation Forum， and the China-Arab University Chancellors’ Forum， the Water Resources Forum， and the Great Health Industrial Forum. These composite mechanisms have constituted meaningful supplement to the existing cooperation mechanisms between China and Arab countries. In addition to central and local governments， universities， think tanks， businesses， and social organizations have also been actively involved， giving new meaning to the development of multilateral mechanisms for China-Arab cooperation.