Original title: Video | Why did 7 senior officials organize a delegation to visit China and the Middle East diplomacy “look east”?
The Middle East delegation to China has added new members.
Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahyan followed in the footsteps of the four Gulf countries and visited China on January 12 and 14 respectively.
Prior to this, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with the visiting foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as the Secretary-General of the GCC. A group of senior officials from many countries in the Middle East visited China. Such a sight is very rare in the history of exchanges between China and the Middle East, which has aroused great concern from the outside world.
What issues did the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iraq bring?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on January 11 that Wang Yi will hold talks with the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministers respectively to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.
China-Turkey is a strategic cooperative relationship, and China-Iran is a comprehensive strategic partnership. Therefore, conducting strategic communication and coordination and deepening bilateral friendly exchanges is considered to be the proper meaning of the two foreign ministers’ visits to China.
“This is the first time that Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahyan has visited China, and it is also the first time that Iranian President Rahey has sent a cabinet official to visit China since he came to power in August last year.” Wang Jin, an expert on Middle East issues, said that the two sides have many common concerns. For example, the situation in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, the common neighbors of the two countries, and the economic and trade cooperation between China and Iran.
When announcing the news of the foreign minister’s visit to China, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry revealed that discussing the comprehensive cooperation plan between the two countries will be an important topic. In March last year, China and Iran signed a 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan, which aims to tap the cooperation potential of the two countries in the fields of economy and culture, and plan future cooperation prospects and paths. Li Shaoxian, Dean of the China-Arab Research Institute at Ningxia University, pointed out that this long-term plan has raised China-Iran cooperation to a new height and level, and will also have the effect of “rising tide” for the entire region.
The Iran nuclear deal will also be a key topic of discussion between the two sides. Wang Jin said that although Iran has returned to the negotiating table in Vienna, the prospect of the Iran nuclear deal is still unclear, and many Western media have blamed Iran’s tough attitude. “In the dialogue with China, Iran will further clarify its position to gain China’s support,” Wang Jin said. Previously, China has stated its position on many occasions, and has always been committed to safeguarding the JCPOA and striving for positive progress in the negotiation. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said recently that the international nuclear non-proliferation regime must be maintained, and at the same time, the legitimate and reasonable security concerns of regional countries should be accommodated.
In terms of cooperation with Turkey, it is expected that this visit will promote the in-depth connection between the “Belt and Road” initiative and Turkey’s “Middle Corridor”. For Turkey, it is particularly important to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with China under the dilemma of devaluation of its currency and severe inflation.
Gulf countries and China are getting closer
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as the foreign ministers of the four Gulf countries and the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council of the Gulf Arab States, visited China at the same time as the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iraq.
GCC emblem and flags of member statesIt is rare in history for diplomats from Middle Eastern countries to “go east”. Wang Jin said that such a “grand occasion” was not sudden. On the one hand, it was a return visit to Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s intensive visits to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries last March. The high recognition of China’s diplomatic achievements and influence also highlights the importance that GCC member states attach to China.
The GCC is an intergovernmental international organization and trade bloc of the six Gulf Arab countries. The four Gulf countries that sent their foreign ministers to China this time are all members of the organization. Since the establishment of the GCC in 1981, China has established ties with it, and the economies of the two are obviously complementary. Especially in recent years, the development of bilateral relations has entered a “fast lane”, and economic and trade cooperation has continued to deepen.
In 2021, the trade volume between China and Arab countries will exceed the US$300 billion mark, and the trade volume between China and the sea will also exceed the US$200 billion mark for the first time, replacing the EU as the largest trading partner of the Gulf countries. In addition, after the United States became independent in energy, it reduced its oil imports from the Gulf region, while China was firmly in the position of the largest exporter of petrochemical products in the GCC, providing the latter with a broad market.
In addition to consolidating traditional energy cooperation, whether the GCC FTA negotiation, which has gone through many twists and turns, can be accelerated, is also the focus of attention of all parties. As early as 2004, China and the GCC had decided to start negotiations on the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement, but due to factors such as internal conflicts among regional countries, they have not been able to proceed. At the end of last year, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi introduced the key tasks of China’s diplomacy in 2022, he said that “the GCC Free Trade Arrangement should be reached as soon as possible”. If the agreement is reached, it will form the second largest regional cooperation agreement in the world after RCEP in terms of scale, country and population, which will help China and the Gulf countries expand cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy, new energy, and artificial intelligence. Realize industrial diversification.
Wang Jin noted that just after Wang Yi held talks with GCC Secretary-General Naif, the two sides issued a joint statement, in which it was mentioned that the negotiation on the China-China Free Trade Agreement will be completed as soon as possible, the China-China Free Trade Area will be established, and trade liberalization will be enhanced. , the level of facilitation, and coordinate the promotion of the economic and trade interests of both sides.
The two sides also agreed that the conditions for establishing a strategic partnership between China and Overseas are ripe and will speed up the process. They unanimously agreed to hold the fourth China-China Strategic Dialogue and jointly formulate and sign an action plan for the next three-year strategic dialogue.
Chinese diplomacy enters “Middle East time”
“The new trend of Middle Eastern countries adjusting their relations internally and taking the initiative to attack externally is both an opportunity and a challenge for China,” Wang Jin added.
Since last year, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have pressed the “pause button” for the turmoil of “breaking diplomatic relations”, Turkey has improved relations with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the “old enemies” of Iran and Saudi Arabia have held four “secret meetings” in Iraq. A series of events show that the Middle East countries are undergoing a reorganization of relations.
The influence of extraterritorial forces also cannot be ignored. In particular, the United States is gradually withdrawing from the Middle East and focusing on strategic competition among major powers, causing a crisis of confidence among regional allies. The influence of the United States in the Middle East has greatly declined, and Middle Eastern countries are more willing to be self-reliant and self-reliant. A way out and exert its own influence in shaping the regional order.
In the opinion of Yang Xiyu, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, China and countries of different camps in the Middle East maintain an equal and mutually beneficial partnership. Such a unique position cannot be replaced by any major country. Leaving a strategic “vacuum” in the United States brings Amid the turbulent factors, Middle Eastern countries all hope to strengthen strategic and stable cooperation with China to degrade regional risks. Taking Iran as an example, China is a “mediator” in order to ease relations with the Gulf countries.
In addition, the impact of the epidemic has brought challenges to the oil and other pillar industries of the Gulf countries. They are also seeking their own economic transformation. Compared with the pure political pressure of the United States, cooperation with China can bring more economic benefits to these countries. long-term interests. Li Shaoxian pointed out that China’s “Belt and Road” initiative and the long-term development strategies of Middle East countries are not mutually exclusive. The interests of the two sides are complementary and there is a huge driving force to meet each other halfway. It is the general trend to further enhance the cooperative relationship.
“With the expansion of its influence in the Middle East, China must also learn to distinguish the risks and challenges brought about by the geopolitical competition of regional countries,” Wang Jin emphasized that as long as we strengthen our confidence, maintain patience, and give full play to our political wisdom, these difficulties will be avoided. It will definitely be filled by broader prospects for cooperation and open a new chapter in the leap-forward development between China and countries in the Middle East.
(Look at News Knews reporter Song Yi)
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