On September 27, 2022, Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad participated in a virtual international symposium, organized by the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), under the slogan “Innovation-Driven Development: Towards Building a China-Arab states community with a shared future”; Ambassador Saad indicated that China has proven its ability to comprehensively develop with fewer resources in general compared to other major powers. This includes not only Chinese military spending as a percentage of GDP, but also other economic tracks, including innovation, which was one of the most important factors that shaped China’s economic path and its great developmental rise. In this context, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, China spent about $515 billion on research and development in 2019. Despite accusations from the West, China has become a leading innovator, already catching up with the rest of the developed countries in key areas such as 5G telecommunications and energy storage. Many Western estimates indicate that China is keen on technological parity with the United States in some important advanced technological fields.
In fact, “Innovation-Driven Development: Towards Building a China-Arab states community with a shared future” is one of the successes achieved thanks to China-Arab cooperation and other cooperation frameworks that govern the People’s Republic of China’s relations with regional groupings and organizations around the world, including the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). It goes without saying that China’s relations with the Arab countries were founded on common concepts and ideas based in essence on equal sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, and the right of each country to choose its own model of development, according to its cultural heritage and its own value model. In 2010, during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab Cooperation Forum, which was held in Tianjin, it was agreed to increase China-Arab cooperation and strengthen strategic relations. President Xi Jinping emphasized three issues during the Sixth Ministerial Conference: nuclear energy, space cooperation and alternative energy sources – as the three pillars of the pattern of cooperation with the Arab side.
In July 2018, the China-Arab future-oriented Strategic Partnership of Comprehensive Cooperation and Common Development was agreed upon by the two sides. From September 5 to 8, 2019, the third session of the China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference was held. The executive program of the forum, which covers the period from 2020 to 2022, also allocated a chapter for cooperation in the field of science and technology. According to it, the two sides welcomed the holding of the fourth session of the Conference in 2021 in China, stressing the strengthening of cooperation and scientific and technological communication between the two sides and the continued support of the “China-Arab Technology Transfer Center” and the subsidiary centers for technology transfer at the bilateral level, and establishing an integrated technology transfer network covering China and all Arab states.
Accordingly, the principles governing China’s Arab policy, which were expressed in China’s Arab Policy Paper issued by the Chinese government on January 13, 2016, which is the first official document of its kind to be issued in this regard, must be invoked. Clause 3.3 of the third section of the document refers to “Cooperation on Science and Technology”, accelerating cooperation in this regard, including technology innovation and establishing the necessary mechanisms for such cooperation. The Paper also emphasized the exploitation of the “China-Arab Technology Transfer Center” to establish an integrated network covering China and all Arab countries for coordination and collaboration in technology transfer, implementing the “Outstanding Young Scientist Coming to China Project” program to include Arab countries, and encouraging the exchanges between young scientific talents of China and Arab states. The two sides will also jointly establish a batch of joint national laboratories, joint research centers, and specialized science parks, set up platforms for enterprises to go global and encourage hi-tech Chinese enterprises to innovate, start businesses and establish R&D centers in Arab States. According to the Paper, China pledged to invite Arab technicians to participate in technology training courses for developing countries organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and actively promote the application and spread of technological achievements and advanced applied technologies of China and Arab states in each other’s countries.
It is important to note that the Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States issued Resolution No. 8757 at its Ordinary session No. 157 on March 9, 2022 regarding “Arab relations with the People’s Republic of China”, which included expressing the keenness of member states to strengthen their relations with the People’s Republic of China in various fields, and under the Belt and Road Initiative, reaffirming the support of Arab states to find peaceful solutions to the existing crises in the region, in a manner that enhances peace and security at the regional and international levels.
The bottom line is that the Chinese leadership believes – rightly – that promoting comprehensive development is the best approach to overcoming obstacles, in the sense that growth based on knowledge and innovation is vital to the welfare and dignity of peoples, and thus putting an end to conflicts. It is understood that the Belt and Road Initiative and the regional frameworks for cooperation with China, including comprehensive development plans, are tantamount to decisive mechanisms for comprehensive development cooperation between China and Arab countries. Developing countries, including the Arab countries, have been able to promote growth and modernization and increase their intra-trade exchanges thanks to China’s efforts and leadership in the field of global economic and trade governance.
