Doha: HE Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Qatar Cao Xiaolin emphasized his country’s great interest in developing relations with Qatar and its readiness to cooperate with the country in enhancing the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), after officially becoming a Dialogue Partner of the SCO in 2022. This comes as China prepares to assume the rotating presidency of the SCO following the SCO Summit held on July 3-4, 2024, in Kazakhstan.
“Qatar holds significant influence in the Arab world and is an important member of numerous international organizations, actively contributing to regional stability and friendly cooperation among nations. In September 2022, Qatar officially became a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is warmly welcomed by China,” HE the ambassador said in an exclusive interview, adding that Qatar has actively engaged in SCO-related activities.
China looks forward to working with Qatar to enhance its role in the SC
O based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, respect for diverse civilizations, pursuit of common development, and strive for international and regional peace and development, HE added.
Regarding the development of relations between Beijing and Doha, HE Chinese Ambassador emphasized China’s great interest in strengthening ties with Qatar, which is now “its best in history,” since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1988. These ties were further strengthened with the official visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to China in November 2014, during which HH the Amir and HE President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping chaired an official talks session that resulted in the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Qatar.
“China stands ready to expand and deepen exchanges and cooperation with Qatar in various areas, and to work together to build the next ‘golden decade’ of the China-Qatar strategic partnership, so as to make positive contributions to building a China
-Arab community with a shared future,” HE ambassador said.
In regard to China’s view of Qatar’s success in mediating conflicts in numerous regions worldwide, ” Over the past three decades, Qatar has successfully mediated dozens of conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, contributing to the de-escalation of tensions, effective settlement of conflicts, and facilitating family reunions for displaced individuals. These efforts have received high praises from the international community, and mediation diplomacy has become a shining hallmark of Qatar on the global stage,” HE said.
Despite the ongoing war in Gaza, Qatar’s relentless efforts to promote ceasefire agreements have been highly commended by the international community, HE highlighted. “The war on Gaza will not fade from the memory of humanity. But also, I believe Qatar’s efforts in mediation diplomacy to end the war will be enshrined in the history,” this comes at a time when the world is undergoing major changes unseen in a cen
tury. The international community needs to build consensus for ending conflicts, pave the way for peace talks, and strive for a world of lasting peace and common security.
On the plans for enhancing Qatari-Chinese economic, trade, and investment cooperation, HE Ambassador affirmed China’s wishes to strengthen the synergy between both countries development strategies, promote win-win cooperation with shared benefits to a higher level, and enhance the high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation to make our countries good partners in pursuing our respective national development paths.
Over the past decade, the bilateral trade volume between China and Qatar has grown from 10.6 billion USD in 2014 to 24.5 billion USD in 2023, highlighting the strong complementarity and enormous potential of their trade and economic cooperation, HE explained.
Thanks to the increasing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, HE Chinese ambassador noted that Qatar has become the world’s largest supplier of Liquefied Na
tural Gas (LNG) to China, with exports reaching nearly 17 million tons in 2023. Meanwhile, China has become Qatar’s largest LNG importer since 2020.
The two countries are seeking to build a multifaceted framework for energy cooperation. Qatar is a major global producer and exporter of LNG and China, the worlds largest oil and gas importer, has become Qatars largest LNG importer. To fulfill its commitments to green development and addressing climate change, Chinas demand for Qatars LNG will continue to grow. China-Qatar energy cooperation, characterized by complementary advantages and mutual benefits, serves as a ballast for the bilateral practical cooperation, HE said.
Additionally, HE stressed the two countries’ efforts to expand to new areas of trade, investment and financial cooperation, and innovative technology. “China is ready to enhance coordination with Qatar in expanding cooperation in areas including health, AI, green and low-carbon development, e-commerce, and modern agriculture, creating a more
dynamic innovation-driven practical cooperation framework.” In conclusion, HE Ambassador Cao Xiaolin reiterated China’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with Qatar in the fields of energy, investment, transportation, new energy, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and other fields and promote high-level economic and trade cooperation to achieve fruitful outcomes.
Source: Qatar News Agency