On February 5, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Egyptian President Sisi, Qatari Emir Tamim, and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed of Abu Dhabi, who were in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, in the Great Hall of the People. In January 2022, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Turkey and Iran in the Middle East, as well as the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also visited China one after another. With the ever-closer exchanges between China and Middle East countries, the cooperation between the two sides will usher in a broader prospect.

Today, with the changes of the century and the epidemic of the century intertwined, China and the Middle East countries have overcome the difficulties together, and have made progress hand in hand. The cooperation in various fields has made great progress, which reflects the profound and strong friendship between the two sides. Economically, China and the Middle East are highly complementary and willing to cooperate. China firmly ranks as the largest trading partner of Arab countries. In 2020, China-Arab trade volume reached nearly 240 billion US dollars.

In recent years, countries in the Middle East have made positive progress in exploring their own development paths, and have launched a series of plans and ideas suitable for their own development, such as Egypt's "2030 Vision", Qatar's "2030 National Vision" and the United Arab Emirates' "Development Strategy for the Next 50 Years", etc. . These plans are highly compatible with the Belt and Road Initiative: the construction of Egypt's new administrative capital, the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, the China-Arab (United Arab Emirates) Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park, and the Qatar Water Supply Project are the links between the Belt and Road Initiative and the respective development plans of the Middle East countries. Successful example. Driven by the strong drive of the Belt and Road Initiative, the areas of cooperation between China and Middle East countries are constantly expanding.

The Middle East is one of the major regions for China's energy imports, and the cooperation between the two sides in the energy field has become a model of mutual benefit and win-win results. In recent years, the two sides have stepped up energy transformation and strengthened cooperation in the exploration of clean energy utilization: China-Egypt Renewable Energy National Joint Laboratory, Qatar Green and Smart Water-Saving Irrigation Technology to the UAE Clean Coal Project... The technical cooperation between China and the Middle East has yielded fruitful results. In addition, 5G, big data, artificial intelligence and other high-tech aspects are also expected to become new growth poles for bilateral cooperation.

For a long time, the Middle East has suffered from the geopolitical game of hegemonism and alliance and confrontation, and it urgently needs to bring positive energy to the region that is conducive to promoting peace and development. China has been actively supporting Middle Eastern countries in enhancing their strategic autonomy, encouraging regional countries to get rid of the interference of major powers' geographic competition, carry forward the spirit of independence and self-reliance, and explore a development path with Middle Eastern characteristics. In the Middle East, China does not seek self-interest, does not engage in geopolitical competition, does not divide spheres of influence, upholds the spirit of equality and friendly partnership, respects the independent choices of countries in the region, and is willing to make "China's contribution" to the peaceful development of the Middle East through sincere cooperation. Keywords: One Belt One Road, One Belt One Road News, One Belt One Road Project

In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, China and the Middle East countries will continue their historical friendship, deepen their partnership, look to the future for all-round cooperation, and make greater contributions to promoting world peace and development and building a community with a shared future for mankind.Editor/XuNing