China's emphasis

Developing countries have long been China's stated priority in promoting global partnerships. In a speech at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said strengthening cooperation and solidarity with developing countries has been, and will continue to be, a firm strategic priority in China's diplomacy.

"No matter how strong China has become, and no matter how the international landscape may change, this strategic priority will remain unchanged," Wang said.

Through multilateral platforms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, BRICS, the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, China has been endeavoring to develop closer partnerships with developing countries.

At the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2018, Xi announced the eight major initiatives for partnerships with African countries, which focused on industrial promotion, trade facilitation and infrastructure connectivity.

Desta Tesfaw, an Ethiopian student who completed his doctoral program at Peking University's Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, said that in the current highly globalized world, China's current and future development has direct and indirect effects on the progress of other developing countries.

In September 2015, Xi announced that China would set up the South-South institute during the High-Level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation to share the experience of China and other developing countries and to advance and ultimately realize the goal of sustainable development by 2030.

"We appreciate China's exemplary and elder brother's role in South-South cooperation and development, which is guided by the principles of mutual benefit, solidarity and equality," Tesfaw said.

Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, undersecretary for Foreign Trade and Industry of the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, attended the fourth China-Arab States Expo, which was held last week in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

He told Xinhua during the expo that there is huge potential for China and Arab states to cooperate in science and technology, with the rapid development of state-of-the-art technologies such as 5G, AI, blockchain and the internet of things.

"This is in line with the interests of both sides," he said. "It helps open up new markets for Chinese commodities and also contributes to the implementation of Arab states' own development plans."

China-Arab economic and trade cooperation has gained steam in recent years. Last year, bilateral trade volume reached $244.3 billion, jumping 28 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The Belt and Road Initiative has been a platform for China to build global partnerships, as it has been well-accepted by many countries since it was proposed by Xi in 2013. As of July, 136 countries and 30 international organizations had signed cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road projects.

Khikmatullo Kudratov, a scholar from Tajikistan, said the BRI can be a major breakthrough for the developing countries to become closer to the world market and increase their trade volume.

China has assured the world that it will continue to expand global partnerships through the BRI.

Xi told participants at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation: "Either in good times or bad, either on a smooth road or a thorny path, we will uphold the spirit of partnership. ... For we all believe that our people deserve a better world, and Belt and Road cooperation will make the world a better place."

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