Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Arab League Secretary
General Amr Mahmoud Moussa in Cairo Friday to boost ties and push
for more cooperation.
President Hu, who arrived here Thursday on a four-day state
visit, visited the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo and met with
delegates from its 22 member states.
President Hu said that consolidating and developing friendly
cooperation with Arab states is the working guideline of the
Chinese government.
President Hu also proposed to develop a new type of partnership
between China and Arab states through promoting political relations
based on mutual respect, forging closer trade and economic links to
achieve common development, expanding cultural exchanges to draw
upon each other's experience, and strengthening cooperation in
international affairs to safeguard world peace and promote common
development.
Moussa concurred with President Hu's suggestion, saying that it
would be an important guideline for the development of Sino-Arab
ties.
President Hu viewed the foundation of the China-Arab states
cooperation forum as an important measure to boost ties between two
sides in a new international environment. Hu said it would enrich
China's relationship with Arab states as well as consolidate and
develop cooperation on different levels and in different areas.
President Hu said the Chinese people are willing, alongside the
Arab people, to build the forum into a new platform for collective
dialogue and cooperation between China and Arab countries.
Moussa also highly praised the announcement by China and Arab
League to set up a forum Friday and said he was looking forward to
his forthcoming visit to China and signing an agreement on the
activities of the forum.
President Hu concluded that no matter how the international
situation changes, Chinese people are always sincere friends with
the Arab people.
Moussa thanked the Chinese people for their continuous support
of the just cause of the Arab people. He said China has set up a
model for developing countries in achieving economic growth, and
China's active role in international affairs has won admiration and
support of all developing nations.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2004)