"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Arab-China Cooperation Forum. The 10th Ministerial Conference of the Arab-China Cooperation Forum is of great significance in building on the past and opening up the future." Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoumi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, said in a recent interview with our reporter that the Arab-China Cooperation Forum has played a key role in carrying forward the spirit of Arab-China friendship and promoting win-win cooperation. "The outcomes of this ministerial conference will help further deepen practical Arab-China cooperation in various fields and better benefit the Arab and Chinese peoples."

In August last year, Al-Asoumi led a delegation to visit China. The profound heritage of traditional Chinese culture and the achievements in areas such as scientific and technological innovation and green economy development left a deep impression on him. "The various policies and measures implemented by China adhere to a people-centered approach and are in line with the fundamental interests of the Chinese people." Al-Asoumi believes that in the process of advancing modernization, Arab countries can learn from China's experience to realize the development aspirations of Arab countries and peoples.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of Chinese and Arab leaders, China-Arab relations have achieved leapfrog development, and the two sides have achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation in fields such as politics, economy, culture, science and technology. Al-Asoumi said that while achieving its own rapid development, China has actively shared experience and opportunities with other countries, which has promoted the development of Arab countries and further consolidated the foundation of Arab-China friendship.

At present, China remains the largest trading partner of Arab countries, with the stock of two-way direct investment between China and Arab states exceeding US$30 billion, and the two sides have implemented more than 200 major cooperation projects within the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road. Al-Asoumi said that jointly building the Belt and Road has not only created a large number of employment opportunities for participating countries and promoted local infrastructure construction and economic and social development, but also created a platform for international cooperation and exchange. The Arab Parliament supports Arab countries in actively participating in the joint building of the Belt and Road and is willing to promote more Belt and Road projects in Arab countries.

Al-Asoumi believes that from the "Eight Major Common Actions" to the "Five Cooperation Frameworks," Arab-China practical cooperation is currently being actively carried out. "I believe that Arab-China relations will be further deepened and substantiated, and I look forward to broader and deeper cooperation between the two sides in fields such as artificial intelligence and energy."

Al-Asoumi said that the Arab Parliament highly appreciates China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and that the three global initiatives are conducive to safeguarding regional and global peace and security. "China's facilitation of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has made a great contribution to regional security and stability. Both Arab and Chinese sides believe that regional hotspot issues should be resolved politically and peacefully. This will further promote global peace and development and is in line with the interests of the people of all countries."

This year, Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates became full members of BRICS. Al-Asoumi said that Arab and Chinese sides maintain close communication and coordination under the frameworks of the Arab-China Cooperation Forum, BRICS and the United Nations, and practice true multilateralism, which will promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.