On May 30, 2024, the “China–Arab Countries Cooperation Forum” summit was held in Beijing with the participation of representatives from all 22 countries of the Arab League, in the presence of the presidents of Egypt, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the king of Bahrain. This is the tenth meeting at the level of the foreign ministers of this forum, which was founded in 2004. The summit was opened by China’s president, Xi Jinping, while its foreign minister, Wang Yi, chaired the meeting alongside the foreign minister of Mauritania.
As expected, the war in Gaza occupied a central place in the statements issued at the summit, which combined condemnations of Israel, a call for an immediate stop to the war, the convening of an international peace conference, and unequivocal support for the Palestinians (and Palestine). The Arab countries and China also called for continued improvement and upgrading of cooperation between them and expressed great satisfaction with the progress of their relations since the establishment of the forum.
Alongside the summit, bilateral meetings were held, which led to meaningful agreements that go beyond the level of declarations. For example, China and Bahrain announced the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” while China and Tunisia established a “strategic partnership.” China and Egypt declared the coming year as a “year of partnership” between them and signed agreements to strengthen it, with China’s three global enterprises (GDI, GSI, GCI) specified as a framework for this. China and Bahrain signed an agreement for cooperation in space, while China and the UAE emphasized the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of security, defense, and the military, as well as in nuclear energy, the fight against terrorism, and the security of shipping lanes. In this announcement, China, as every year, supports the UAE in resolving the issue of sovereignty over the three islands in the Gulf, which Iran has controlled since 1971. This declared support, like Iran’s protest against it, has become an almost permanent ritual after similar summits.
China’s policy toward the Middle East is being conducted in the context of the competition between the superpowers, opposite the United States, with Beijing’s trying to improve its position at the expense of Washington. As gaps emerge between Jerusalem and Washington and as the United States encounters difficulties in implementing its policy in the region, China is leveraging this situation to expand its relations with the Arab and Muslim countries of the region and to strengthen the narrative that the United States is the source of the region’s problems, and Israel is its proxy. By standing alongside the Arab countries, China recognizes the Palestinian issue as a convenient platform for demonstrating its support and values, for mobilizing popular support, and presenting itself as a relevant mediator for the Palestinian conflict, following its mediation, in its view, in the Iran–Saudi Arabia agreement.
It’s important that Israel strengthens its relations with the United States, presents and initiates policy alternatives that will support its integration in the region and promote an American-led regional security architecture against the threats from Iran. Given the Chinese confrontational position at this time, Israel should refrain from indirectly helping to promote alternatives that will work to its detriment, such as peace conferences and mediation efforts sponsored by China, which will not be in Israel’s favor.
On May 30, 2024, the “China–Arab Countries Cooperation Forum” summit was held in Beijing with the participation of representatives from all 22 countries of the Arab League, in the presence of the presidents of Egypt, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the king of Bahrain. This is the tenth meeting at the level of the foreign ministers of this forum, which was founded in 2004. The summit was opened by China’s president, Xi Jinping, while its foreign minister, Wang Yi, chaired the meeting alongside the foreign minister of Mauritania.
As expected, the war in Gaza occupied a central place in the statements issued at the summit, which combined condemnations of Israel, a call for an immediate stop to the war, the convening of an international peace conference, and unequivocal support for the Palestinians (and Palestine). The Arab countries and China also called for continued improvement and upgrading of cooperation between them and expressed great satisfaction with the progress of their relations since the establishment of the forum.
Alongside the summit, bilateral meetings were held, which led to meaningful agreements that go beyond the level of declarations. For example, China and Bahrain announced the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” while China and Tunisia established a “strategic partnership.” China and Egypt declared the coming year as a “year of partnership” between them and signed agreements to strengthen it, with China’s three global enterprises (GDI, GSI, GCI) specified as a framework for this. China and Bahrain signed an agreement for cooperation in space, while China and the UAE emphasized the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of security, defense, and the military, as well as in nuclear energy, the fight against terrorism, and the security of shipping lanes. In this announcement, China, as every year, supports the UAE in resolving the issue of sovereignty over the three islands in the Gulf, which Iran has controlled since 1971. This declared support, like Iran’s protest against it, has become an almost permanent ritual after similar summits.
China’s policy toward the Middle East is being conducted in the context of the competition between the superpowers, opposite the United States, with Beijing’s trying to improve its position at the expense of Washington. As gaps emerge between Jerusalem and Washington and as the United States encounters difficulties in implementing its policy in the region, China is leveraging this situation to expand its relations with the Arab and Muslim countries of the region and to strengthen the narrative that the United States is the source of the region’s problems, and Israel is its proxy. By standing alongside the Arab countries, China recognizes the Palestinian issue as a convenient platform for demonstrating its support and values, for mobilizing popular support, and presenting itself as a relevant mediator for the Palestinian conflict, following its mediation, in its view, in the Iran–Saudi Arabia agreement.
It’s important that Israel strengthens its relations with the United States, presents and initiates policy alternatives that will support its integration in the region and promote an American-led regional security architecture against the threats from Iran. Given the Chinese confrontational position at this time, Israel should refrain from indirectly helping to promote alternatives that will work to its detriment, such as peace conferences and mediation efforts sponsored by China, which will not be in Israel’s favor.