DOHA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Thursday that the relations between China and Arab nations are moving forward and still have huge potentials.
The minister made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the seventh ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), noting that the forum has become a model of the cooperation among developing countries.
Wang said the CASCF mechanism has made fruitful achievements and promoted a leap-forward development of the China-Arab relations, revealing large potentials of their cooperation.
"Chinese president Xi's keynote speech on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, delivered during his visit to the headquarters of Arab League recently, has opened a new phase of China-Arab relations," the Chinese minister stressed.
The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was announced in 2013 by President Xi. The aim is to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road.
Wang also highlighted the key points in building the initiative, including making full use of the complementarities in productivity and resources, grasping cooperative opportunities in industrialization and culture exchanges and refreshing the China-Arab historical friendship.
The Qatari Foreign Minister said that the CASCF is an important platform for deepening cooperation and alleviating conflicts, adding that the Arab side would like to further promote the all-round strategic partnership with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
"The CASCF has made a good example for the South-to-South cooperation," said Nabil Elaraby. "We are sincere and confident in our strategic cooperation."
Under the theme of "Working together on the Belt and Road Initiative and deepening China-Arab strategic cooperation," the conference attracted around 200 representatives from China and Arab countries, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and the Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby.