Arab-China relationship

If the Arab-China relationship needed any more evidence of robust strategic engagement, we have it.

In a landmark move, leaders of China and the member states of the Arab League recently issued the ‘Riyadh Declaration’ at the end of the first-ever China-Arab States summit. The joint agreement serves as the collective vision of both civilisations to deepen their bilateral relations, as common interests span core sovereign issues, robust economic offerings, and principled pushback against unilateral interference. “[Nations aspire to] strengthen the bonds of joint cooperation, upgrade the strategic partnership relations between the Arab and Chinese sides, value the historical ties between our peoples, and the rich interactions between our two ancient civilisations,” read the communique. Thus understood, a delicate balance between development-focused win-win cooperation – and sovereignty – makes the future of China-Arab cooperation transformative.

On sovereign issues, it is a valuable reinforcement from China’s Arab allies to back the Taiwan question with complete clarity. It shows in the fact that the Chinese province is unequivocally affirmed as an internal part of China, and that Arab countries remain firm in their commitment to the one-China principle. On Beijing’s part, the solidarity is ironclad: there is deep opposition to the politicisation of human rights.

Moreover, it is the respect for the Arab world’s independent development trajectory – as seen in the past – which makes the relationship stand-out for all business, civilian, and diplomatic stakeholders. One should simply take in the successes of development initiatives, such as those under the sprawling Belt and Road (BRI) in the Arab world. None have ever been tied to zero-sum games, or ideological overtones suggestive of Western interference for long.

In fact, trade has grown by US$100 billion over the past decade, and the Arab world continues to cater to the development-focused empowerment of its masses. The latter makes for a natural parallel with China’s own human-centric investments at home, presenting new horizons to diversify trade beyond the $100 billion growth mark. It escapes no one that the concept of a ‘shared future’ between China and the Arab world is concretised by their significant economic pull. At the same time, ‘common values of humanity’ spanning peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom offer a new path to chart together for world peace.

Interestingly, as arguably the most influential economic power in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s ever-strengthening economic and energy ties with Beijing have an outsized advantage for the region. After all, scores of investment deals have been inked during Chinese President Xi’s landmark visit, allowing complimentary development visions of Riyadh and Beijing to converge further in due course. Both countries put a premium on regional connectivity and the advancement of region-wide trade linkages, making future progress in infrastructure, energy, transport and digital economy a massive plus for the Arab world.

Where the Riyadh Declaration comes through is on the need to adopt a ‘balanced approach’ to the advancement of global economic growth. This indicates sensitivity to equal recoveries of all states. That position is backed by the ample investment potential of many parties involved, and the understanding that links to energy security are central to getting peace and security right.

Understand that such an approach to economic growth eludes many Western capitals at present. Europe, for instance, has entertained the assumption that economic coercion, energy supply cuts, and oil price caps will yield more fruit than costs. But as the Ukraine-Russia war shows, efforts to escalate tensions have only allowed domestic discontent to further at home, and slashed growth prospects to their own disadvantage. In stark contrast, valuable frameworks – such as the increasingly popular Global Development Initiative (GDI) – make it easier for the Arab-China community to synthesise growth and development strategies as energy challenges evolve. At the same time, there is a high degree of investment continuity in China and other top Arab economies, allowing countries to focus energies on scaling such meaningful pursuits. The relationship is insulated from the costs of the U.S. ‘forever wars’ and unwarranted geopolitical interference.

Finally, the Riyadh Declaration must be remembered for its use of multilateral international cooperation to benefit negotiated peace. A case in point is the multipronged approach to upholding Palestinian rights, a mainstay of China’s Middle East policy for decades. “[States] call for convening an international peace conference with broader participation, more credibility, greater influence … to solve the Palestinian cause, and a series of initiatives and visions put forward by the Chinese side on the Palestinian cause,” read the Declaration. Deep focus on the invalidity of Israel’s unilateral practices, as well as Israeli designs to challenge the status-quo, collectively render China-Arab unity on Palestine valuable for future times.

Ultimately, the Riyadh Declaration comes through with a strong peace focus on issues central to Chinese diplomacy in the Arab world. It also lends new impetus to massive win-win development opportunities spanning billions.

Given the cooperative role that both civilisations have played on the world stage, their economic clout and diplomatic symbolism are a breath of fresh air in a divided world order.

The writer is a foreign affairs commentator and recipient of the Fulbright Award