The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Tunisian President Kais Saied will visit China this week, as announced by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. A spokesperson for the Ministry stated that the leaders will undertake state visits to China from May 28 to June 1 and will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.
Ding Li, the Deputy Foreign Minister, mentioned during a press conference in Beijing that President Xi Jinping will attend the forum and deliver a speech on Thursday. He added that Xi will also hold discussions with the four heads of state to exchange views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern.
Ding noted that the forum aims to deepen "understanding between China and Arab countries" and will be co-chaired by senior diplomat Wang Yi and his Mauritanian counterpart. He highlighted that the leaders will share a common stance between China and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue. This comes as China seeks to position itself as a mediator in the conflict between Hamas and Israel. China has consistently supported the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
President Xi Jinping has called for an "international peace conference" aimed at resolving the conflict. In November, Beijing hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to hold talks aimed at "de-escalating" the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
