Foreign Minister to attend China-Arab Cooperation Forum

Manama, July 8 (BNA): The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, will participate in the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which will be inaugurated by the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Beijing. His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, will deliver a speech in the inauguration of the forum. The forum will discuss ways to reinforce cooperation between China and the Arab States and support the Belt and Road Initiative which was launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013. It will also study the development of the forum’s mechanisms and shed light on regional and international issues of common interest. Shaikh Khalid will meet the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. A number of cooperation agreements between the two friendly countries will be signed during the meeting. Bahrain has hosted the third Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in 2008. The Kingdom has always been keen to participate in the meetings of the forum since its establishment in 2004. In the meeting, a general framework for China-Arab cooperation dialogue was set to include cooperation in the political, economic, social and cultural fields, eventually reaching a strategic partnership between the two sides. A ministerial meeting is held every two years as part of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum alternately between Arab states and China. Other important events are also held, including meeting of senior officials, entrepreneurs conference, and investment seminars, as well as other cultural activities, most important of which is the arts festival for both sides, which was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2012.