RIYADH: China is prepared to further enhance strategic communication with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), protect shared interests, and work together to address an increasingly complex and volatile international environment, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, stressing the importance of contributing to the collective self-reliance of the Global South.
During talks with GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, described the GCC as a key sub-regional organization in the Middle East. He noted that the council has long promoted unity, cooperation, and shared development among Gulf countries, while its global influence has continued to grow.
Wang said China established ties with the GCC shortly after the organization was founded, and that the evolution of China-GCC relations has largely paralleled Chinaā€™s reform and opening up. Over time, both sides have become partners on the road to development and rejuvenation, as well as close collaborators pursuing mutually beneficial outcomes.
He recalled that in late 2022, President Xi Jinping and leaders of GCC member states met in Riyadh for the first China-GCC Summit, which elevated bilateral relations to a new stage, outlined fresh opportunities, and set out a long-term vision for future cooperation.
China, Wang said, supports the GCC in strengthening strategic autonomy, deepening unity and cooperation, upholding multilateralism, and advancing regional integration. He expressed hope that both sides would continue to firmly back each other on matters concerning their respective core interests.
China is ready to work with GCC countries to advance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, expand collaboration in trade and investment, boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and further strengthen public support for China-GCC friendship, Wang added.
He also emphasized Chinaā€™s willingness to enhance multilateral coordination with GCC partners to implement the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi, promote the shared development of the Global South, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind. As a responsible major country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue playing a constructive role in resolving regional hotspot issues and maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East.
Wang noted that negotiations on the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement have spanned more than two decades and said conditions are now largely in place to make a final breakthrough. At a time when protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise and free trade faces growing challenges, concluding such an agreement would send a strong message in support of multilateralism.
Albudaiwi, for his part, said GCC countries share a deep friendship with China, which they regard as a trusted and reliable strategic partner, adding that GCC-China relations are currently operating at a high level.
He highlighted the landmark importance of the first China-GCC Summit held in Saudi Arabia in 2022, attended by President Xi and leaders of GCC states.
Albudaiwi said the GCC is willing to work closely with China to implement the important consensus reached by leaders on both sides, strengthen political mutual trust, expand dialogue and exchanges, and deepen cooperation in areas such as energy and innovation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. He also underscored the importance of enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
He added that the GCC looks forward to the early completion of the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement and holds high expectations for the second China-Arab States Summit and the second China-GCC Summit scheduled to take place in China next year. The GCC, he said, is ready to maintain close communication with China to ensure tangible outcomes from these meetings.
Albudaiwi also praised Chinaā€™s balanced stance on regional issues, including the Palestinian question, and its constructive efforts to ease regional tensions, such as facilitating reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. He said the GCC will continue strengthening coordination with China on international and regional affairs to better safeguard shared interests.
