Respected Your Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of The Islamic Republic of Mauritania Muhammad Val Weld Bilal,

Respected Your Excellencies Foreign Ministers,

Respected Your Excellency Secretary-General Amr Mahmoud Moussa,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, with a feeling of joy, I come to the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) symbolizing unity and cooperation of the Arab world, to design the consolidation and deepening of the fraternal friendly cooperative relations between China and Arab states jointly with foreign ministers and Secretary-General Moussa and sign the Declaration on the China-Arab Cooperation Forum and the Plan of Action on the China-Arab Cooperation Forum. This is a great event in China-Arab ties. I am deeply honored to participate in it.

With a vast territory, abundant resources, and an enormous population, the Arab world is an important force on the international arena. The LAS with 22 members is an important regional organization and has played a positive role and achieved significant results in pushing for unity and cooperation of Arab states and promoting regional and world peace and development .

The friendship between China and Arab states can be traced back to ancient times. We all enjoy ancient and unique civilizations. We all suffered from plundering and aggressions by big powers to the fullest extent. In the struggle for national independence and liberation, we offered support and help to each other. Now, we are all facing the common task of realizing national rejuvenation and state prosperity and powerfulness and China and Arab states need even closer coordination and stronger cooperation in various fields to jointly respond to opportunities and challenges brought about by the changes in the international situations. For this reason, during a visit to the LAS headquarters by Chinese President Hu Jintao last January, the two sides jointly declared the establishment of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.

Similar histories, common objectives and broad common interests have given birth to the China-Arab Cooperation Forum. This is the development and continuity of the traditional China-Arab friendship.

The establishment of the Forum is an important measure taken to strengthen China-Arab ties in the new situation. As a new platform of China-Arab group dialogue and cooperation, the Forum will strongly consolidate and expand bilateral collaboration at various levels and areas and upgrade cooperation levels in an all-round way.

Foreign ministers of all Arab states and Secretary-General Moussa have made active efforts for pushing for the establishment of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum. To hold this ministerial meeting, the time of convening the Council of Foreign Ministers of the LAS was specially adjusted, for which I would like to express my sincere thankfulness.

As the Chinese Foreign Minister, I stand ready to reaffirm that whatever changes take place on the international arena, China will always remain a sincere and reliable friend of Arab states. I will work along with my Arab colleagues to conduct closer cooperation and exert my full strength for promoting further development of China-Arab friendly cooperative relations. I believe through the joint efforts by the two sides, the China-Arab Cooperation Forum will surely be able to score one success after another.

Thank you.