Arab heads of state to conclude visits to China
Arab heads of state conclude a five-day visit to China today.
Heads of state from Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates visited Beijing to attend the 10th Ministerial Conference of the Arab-China Cooperation Forum. The meeting’s agenda included discussing Israel’s war on Gaza as well as avenues to deepen strategic cooperation in fields ranging from oil, gas, trade to investment. In his keynote address, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as well as his desire to work with the Arab states to “explore solutions to hotspot issues” and ensure long term peace and stability.
While Beijing has historically positioned itself to be an economic partner within the Middle East, evident through its economic Belt and Road Initiative, it has gradually deepened its political footprint within the region in the past few years, most notably through its brokering of the Iran-Saudi Arabia normalization deal in 2023. Ultimately, while Beijing has been vocal about the pursuit of a two-state solution, given its nascent diplomatic credentials within the region, it is unlikely that it will be able to foster a tangible solution to the ongoing assault in Gaza.
