China on GCC side for maintaining security -- Kuwaiti official

By Muaijel Al-Dhafiri DOHA, May 23 (KUNA) -- A Kuwaiti official has affirmed China's support for necessary measures that have been taken by the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council to safeguard their security and stability.
Chinese officials, taking part in the two-day 8th round of the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum that got underway here on Sunday, have taken a distinctive stance toward security of the region, declaring Beijing's opposition to external intervention in the domestic affairs of the GCC states, said Kuwait's permanent representative to the Arab League Jamal Al-Ghuneim and member of the Kuwaiti delegation attending the gathering.
Specifically, the Chinese have demonstrated backing for the GCC stance toward the incidents in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and this constitutes an explicit gesture "to the sta tes that view the GCC step as negative," said Al-Ghunaim in a statement to KUNA.
Units of the GCC Peninsula Shield Force have been deployed in Bahrain to aid the government maintain law and order. Iran has condemned the move. And Bahrain, along with the other GCC states, have accused Tehran of plotting to foment discords in the GCC countries.
Elaborating, Al-Ghuneim said the Chinese delegation, during the first sessions of the gathering, affirmed Beijing's call for nuclear proliferation in the region, with regard to the prospected hazards to the security and stability of the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries.
The Chinese officials and their GCC counterparts have expressed identical opinions on various regional and international affairs, with emphasis on the unwavering support for the Arabs' just causes, namely the cause of the Palestinians and their struggle to establish an independent state.
He added that the conferees examined avenues for enhancing cooperation among the participating states.
A meeting grouping Arab and Chinese businessmen was recently scheduled, but was adjourned due to the regional upheavals, he said, expressing hope that it would held in the future in the hope of paving war for opening new avenues for cooperation in the commercial and investment sectors.
The forum is due to issue recommendations at its end due later today, in preparation for the fifth ministerial round due in Tunisia next year.