China &
Middle-East News
China &
Middle-East News
Beijing Urges Diplomacy In Iran Nuclear Dispute
Photo:
Chinese President Hu Jintao (left), with the Russian and Iranian presidents at a multilateral summit in June
2006
(epa)
August 1, 2006 -- China today stressed the importance of diplomacy in resolving the international nuclear standoff with Iran.
The official Xinhua news agency quotes a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, as urging all parties to exercise restraint and continue to push for an early resumption of negotiations.
China's call comes after the UN Security Council -- including China -- passed a resolution July 31 demanding Tehran halt its nuclear activities by August 31 or face possible sanctions.
The Foreign Ministry says it hopes passage of the resolution will "help the ongoing diplomatic efforts."
UN Resolution 1696 demands Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development." And it expresses "serious concern" at Iran's refusal to cooperate with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
Iran denounced the move as illegal and vowed to press on.
Russia and China, each of which has extensive trade and business ties to Iran, have expressed reluctance to impose economic sanctions in the event of continued Iranian intransigence on the nuclear issue, as the United States has sought.
Chinese dragon awakens
Gertz - DC - Jun 26/05 - China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials.
U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.
China's military buildup includes an array of new high-technology weapons, such as warships, submarines, missiles and a maneuverable warhead designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses. Recent intelligence reports also show that China has stepped up military exercises involving amphibious assaults, viewed as another sign that it is preparing for an attack on Taiwan.
"There's a growing consensus that at some point in the mid-to-late '90s, there was a
fundamental shift in the sophistication, breadth and re-sorting of Chinese defense planning," said Richard Lawless, a senior China-policy maker in the Pentagon. "And what we're seeing now is a manifestation of that change in the number of new systems that are being deployed, the sophistication of those systems and the interoperability of the systems."
China's economy has been growing at a rate of at least 10 percent for each of the past 10 years, providing the country's military with the needed funds for modernization.
China's two-pronged offensive
By Michael A Weinstein
Jun 30/05 - Atimes - Last week, China flexed its muscles in the economic and military spheres, setting off a flurry of reactions in Washington that threaten to complicate Sino-American relations and reveal
long-term risks for the globalization process.
China's stepped-up assertiveness on the world stage came in the form of bids by Chinese businesses to acquire US appliance manufacturer Maytag and oil company Unocal, as well as Beijing's test firing of its most advanced and longest-range intercontinental missile, the JL-2. Those moves spurred protests in the US Congress that, in turn, were met by ambivalent responses from the George W Bush administration, which is cross-pressured by conflicting interests.
Following the acquisition in May of IBM's personal computer business by China's Lenovo Group, the bid for Maytag by Haier America Trading - the US arm of appliance giant Haier - and the move to acquire Unocal by China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) mark a new stage in Beijing's export-driven strategy of economic development that is geared to make China an "all-round" great power with state-of-the-art industries in all strategic sectors over the next 20 years.
The test of the JL-2 missile, which has a 6,000 mile (9,656 kilometer) range, advances toward Beijing's aim of enhancing China's military capabilities in order to make the country the dominant power in East and Southeast Asia,
gradually eroding US influence.
Chinese firms punished over Nuclear Technology sale to Iran
BBC- Jan 1/05 - The US has imposed sanctions on seven Chinese firms suspected of selling nuclear weapons technology to Iran.
The penalties, which will remain in place for two years, include a ban on trading with, and receiving assistance from, the US government.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the move, saying the "wanton launch of sanctions...without real evidence is not a wise choice".
A company from Taiwan and one from North Korea are also affected.
Iran has denied US accusations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear plans are for peaceful energy purposes.
Two of the largest Chinese companies named by the US, China North Industry Corporation (Norinco) and China Great Wall Industry, have been repeatedly penalised for violating various export controls. Both have close ties to the Chinese army.
The firms are being punished under the 2000 Iran Non-Proliferation Act
China's oil needs
Last June, a US congressional report said China was failing to curb the proliferation of missile technology, despite promises from the Chinese government. It suggested China's growing dependence on Middle East oil was the reason for this.
China, Israel march in step again
By Stephen Blank
Mar 26/04 - China and Israel are resuming a military relationship. From the 1970s until both sides established diplomatic relations with each other in 1992, Israel sold China an estimated US$4 billion worth of arms. And once their political relations were normalized, their arms sales relationship become overt.
Indeed, that relationship continued until 2000, when Israel attempted to sell China an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), only to run afoul of the United States, which blocked the deal, saying it would give Beijing a strategic edge in any Taiwan conflict. As a result, Israel ultimately had to pay China $350 million in compensation, and there were no known arms sales through 2003.
However, now a top-level delegation led by the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, General Amos Yaron, Major General (Ret) Yossi Ben-Hanan, head of Sibat, the Foreign Defense and Assistance Export Organization, and Yehiel Horev, the ministry's chief security officer, visited Beijing this week. It was the first time the two nations held high-level military talks in three years.
Although this meeting is described as a confidence-building measure to reopen the way to a lucrative defense relationship with Beijing, it has not happened out of the blue. The meet follows hard on the heels of Israel's sale of the Phalcon AWACs system to India, with US approval, and the visible expansion of Indo-Israeli defense ties to the point where some observers believe Israel is now India's largest supplier.
Kings of the East China's Success in the Middle East
1977 on. With the accession of Deng Xiaoping, China started to adopt a less ideological and more practical diplomacy, with the aim of creating a favorable international environment for China's modernization program. This approach led to relations with all the Middle East countries and a substantial increase in Chinese influence as a result. Beijing no longer made a state's relations with Washington or Moscow the criterion for distinguishing between enemy and friend; instead, benefits to China itself became the basis of decisions.
Between 1977 and 1990, China set up diplomatic relations with a great number of Middle Eastern states: Jordan, Oman, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Palestinians. In January 1992, China capped this sequence with diplomatic relations with Israel. Top leaders of almost every Middle Eastern country have visited Beijing, and China's counterparts have in turn traveled throughout the region. China now maintains good relations with all Middle East countries, ranging from America's close allies (Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) to intensely anti-American states (Libya, Iran, and even Iraq)—a major accomplishment in the history of Sino-Middle East relations. In comparison, it bears noting that Russia, China's old rival, has steadily lost influence in the region. The Kuwait war further enhanced China's influence in the region, as it supported the moderate forces (such as Egypt and the Gulf states) at the same time maintaining normal relations with the hard-liners of the Arab world, while Russia's role continued to diminish.
In addition, China moved fast ahead in a wide variety of fields, building economic, trade, cultural, scientific, technological, and military ties. By 1990, China's exports to the Middle East countries reached $1.5 billion, and more than 50,000 Chinese workers were employed in the region.11Chinese arms also entered Middle East with major buyers including Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
POLICIES
The Chinese government has a distinct policy on four major issues that bear on its interests:
oil, arms sales, Iraq and Iran, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Oil. China in 1993 became a net oil importer and one Japanese estimate foresees China importing 40 percent of its oil needs by 2010.12 This prospect has lead many Chinese to call on their government to pay special attention to relations with the oil exporters and to make unceasing efforts to ensure an expanded petroleum supply from the Middle East.13 In the long-term future, the energy situation may spur Chinese military efforts directed toward the Middle East; for the near term, however, that prospect is out of the question. Financial and technical shortages restrict China from building an oceangoing navy to defend its sea-lanes to the Middle East, plus the fact that it must now remain focused on Taiwan and the South China Sea.
This being the case, the Chinese authorities prefer to exploit oil and gas resources in Siberia and Central Asia. However unstable a supply these may be, they are less risky and more feasible for at least the next decade; and two border security treaties, signed in 1996 and 1997 with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan, further increase China's confidence in pursuing this Siberia-Central Asia energy strategy.
Arms sales. Western media have repeatedly reported and commented on sales of Chinese arms and nuclear technology to the Middle East.14 Western suspicions that China may be using these arms sales for political purposes focus on three issues: retaliation for sales to Taiwan; weakening the West by building up its enemies; and establishing a special political relationship with energy suppliers, given that China will become a significant importer of oil.
Rumors about missile sales and nuclear reactor sales have caused serious disturbances and have even become a sensitive issue in Sino-U.S. relations. Several factors must be taken into consideration by way of background: (1) Military sales to the region result directly from the modernization program that badly needs capital; it also indicates China's change from "ideological diplomacy" to "practical and realistic diplomacy." Commercial factors, rather than ideology, play a major role in determining these sales. (2) China's arms constitute only a very small proportion of the arms entering Middle East countries, far less than those from the United States, the former USSR, France, or Britain. British statistics show that between 1984 and 1989, Iraq bought $3.3 billion worth of arms from China, $5 billion from France, and $14 billion from the Soviet Union. (3) China is unable to control the circulation of arms once they are sold. In the Iraq-Iran war, for example, Iraq bought Chinese arms through Jordan and Egypt; Iran obtained Chinese arms through Pakistan and North Korea.
At the moment, the West is most worried about high technology and weapons of mass destruction, concerned particularly that the median- or long-range missiles China has probably sold to Middle Eastern states will undo the strategic balance there. The Chinese authorities have reiterated their promise not to sell advanced arms that would wreck the Middle East balance of power, and several rounds of talks have been held between China and the United States over this issue; however, the latter has never believed the former's promise. Instead, the U.S. repeatedly accuses China of breaking it—something not uncommon when arms exporters engage in an intense competition.
Middle East to provide a third of Asia's gas supplies by
2010
10/25/1997
Asia's expanding economies could turn to the Middle East for as much as
third of their gas supplies by 2010, according to Asian delegates at an
international gas conference held in Dubai this week.
"By 2010, it is possible that Asia could be importing up to one third of
its requirements from the Middle East," said R.P. Sharma, executive
director of the Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) at the "Third Middle
East Gas Summit" held during October 18-23.
According to GAIL statistics, Asia is the world's biggest market for gas,
accounting for 78 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, with total
imports of 59.4 million tons. Only two Middle Eastern countries are currently
LNG producers, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with an output of
nearly 4.4 million tons a year each, sold mainly in Japan, the world's top
importer of LNG.
Qatar accounts for only 14 percent of Asia's imports of LNG, although the Middle
East's reserves of more than 48,000 billion cubic meters make up 30 percent of
the world's total.
"Enormous gas reserves and low-cost gas production will undoubtedly turn
the Middle East into a large exporting region," said Sharma.
Kings of the East Eye on the Middle East: a future US-Sino oil clash ?
Jun 18/04 - Early this month, crude oil futures prices peaked at a 21-year high, reaching US$42.45 a barrel. In conjunction with terrorist risk premiums, China's surging demand for oil is a major driver behind the soaring prices. In fact, since the beginning of 2000, China has accounted for 40% of the growth in world oil demand.
Oil is an essential ingredient in China's successful formula for economic growth. It is critical for driving industrial activity, generating power, constructing infrastructure projects and fueling the rapidly growing number of automobiles on China's roads. Today, imports comprise one-third of China's total oil consumption, growing 31% last year, and by 2020 some estimates put China's dependency on foreign oil as high as 70%.
Oil consumption in the United States, the world's largest consumer of petroleum, is expected to grow nearly 50% over the next 20 years. Beijing, also on the fast track to oil dependency, is on a search to secure energy sources across the globe. This quest, in addition to China's heavy reliance on Middle Eastern oil, suggests a potential rivalry between the US and China over access to oil-rich regions. Many analysts argue that the trajectories of the world's two most voracious oil consumers will inevitably lead to a clash over the scarce resource.
Will the US and China actually square off in a war for resources some time during the first half of the century? Although the idea for a coming collision over the world's limited oil reserves may sound rather intriguing
China is preparing a "peaceful ascendancy"
State Department Ignores Opportunity with India -
China,
Israel march in step again
China
Kings of the East Three cooperation agreements between Egypt and China
Arabic News - 4/23/02 - Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and his Chinese Counterpart Zhu Rongji Saturday attended the signing ceremony of three cooperation agreements between Egypt and China at the cabinet premises. The signing ceremony was held at the end of an expanded session of talks which was attended by Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture Youssef Wali as well as the ministers of Information, Education, Irrigation, Supplies, Industry and Planning, Health together with State Ministers for Military Production and Foreign Affairs.
The first agreement is related to economic and technological cooperation between the two sides. The second covers letter of exchange concerning the setting up of a model school to teach the Chinese language.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Faiza Abul Naga signed the agreements for the Egyptian side, while Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Wel Jiangua signed for China.
The third agreement is a memo of understanding on cooperation in the livestock breeding field. The agreement was signed by Wali on the Egyptian side, while Chinese Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin signed for his country.
Earlier in the day Prime Minister Dr. Atef Ebeid on Saturday held a late session of talks with his Chinese opposite number Zhu Rongji, who arrived in Cairo on Friday for a five-day visit to Egypt.
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Kings
of the East China hails Egypt's role in the Mid East peace process
Egypt-China, Politics, 1/21/2002
Arabic News - 1/21/2002 - Egyptian President Mubarak due to start an official visit to China where he will holde discussions with the Chinese president Xiang Zemin and a number of Chinese officials.
President Mubarak is expected to sign a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of economy, petroleum, tourism , nuclear energy, education, science and technology.
President Mubarak is also due to inaugurate a businessmen forum, and witness a ceremony marking the creation of an Egyptian-Chinese businessmen Council.
As for China's stance on the American policy of fighting terrorism, Leo Chiau Ming , the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt said, "Since the very beginning, China clearly declared that the campaign against terrorism should be limited and to-the -point."
We objected to extending the campaign to other countries ;we expressed our stance to the American side, not only in public but also through mutual contacts with US administration,he added: The Chinese Ambassador stressed that China was keen on cooperating and consulting with Islamic countries in order to reach a practical and just formula to tackle this serious problem (terrorism), which threatens the international community.
On the hazards of the Chinese-Israeli military cooperation and the Arab concerns over this step ,the Chinese Ambassador indicated that if Egypt is concerned with this issue , the Chinese leadership is ready to discuss it with President Mubarak , as China realizes how important the Egyptian role is in the Middle East peace process. Concerning this cooperation , he said;"These fears are unjustifiable ,as China through its relations with Israel ,aims at playing a positive role in the peace process We firmly hold our principles and will never changed our stance in support of the just struggle of Palestinian people and their right to establish their own statehood."
China also denounces Israel's excessive use of power and rejects the Israeli menace to Lebanon and Syria, he added .
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Talks
between Mubarak and Zemin deal with regional and international issues
Egypt - China boost cooperation in oil domain
2/17/2001
Arabic News - Chairman of Chinese National Oil Company, the biggest oil company in China, hailed as excellent cooperation between Egypt and China in the field of petroleum.
This came during talks held by Egypt's ambassador to China Mohammad Noaman Galal and President of the Chinese company.
The Egyptian-Chinese talks dealt with aspects of cooperation between the two countries in light of the meeting held last December between President Hosni Mubarak and Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Wu Bangguo.
The ambassador told the chairman of the Chinese company that Egypt was keen on developing cooperation with China in oil domains.
The ambassador briefed him on a list of new investment projects to be implemented by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum.
The Chinese official called for studying the Egyptian projects and delegating a Chinese oil team to Egypt for more consultations.
The Chinese company produces 100 million tons of oil and its derivatives annually.
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King Mohammed visits Niujie Islamic Mosque in Beijing (Pekin)
2/7/2002
Arabic News - Morocco's King
Mohammed VI who is currently on a state visit to china visited Thursday the
Niujie Mosque in Beijing, where he was greeted by the mosque imam and director,
Imam Brahim.
The sovereign performed the Tahiyya prayer (a mosque salute prayer) in the
presence of several Chinese worshippers before he visited the mosque's
facilities and signed the visitors book.China,
Religion,
The sovereign donated the mosque Imam a batch of copies of the holy Koran.
The Niujie mosque, covering a surface area of 6,000 m2, is the largest one among
Beijing's 68 mosques. It was built by an Arab scholar in 996 and was formally
named Niujie mosque in 1474. The mosque, combining Chinese and Arab
architecture, was refurbished and enlarged under the Mongol dynasties. It was
rehabilitated again in 1979 and its walls were coated with a gold paint. In
1988, the Chinese government listed the mosque among outstanding historic
monuments to be protected by the state.
Islam was introduced in China in the 7th century and Muslims in the country
currently number about 20 million. They are mostly settled in the regions of
Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai.
Chinese Muslims set up an association, the Islamic Association of China, in
1953. The association is active in implementing governmental measures in matters
of freedom of worship, spreads Islamic culture and issues its own publication
"Muslims in China."
China hosts 34,928 mosques, and 45,051 imams, Muslim teachers and managers
Egypt, China sign memorandum of understanding on telecommunications
10/5/2002
Arabic News - Egypt and China signed a memorandum of understanding on boosting cooperation in fields of information data and telecommunications.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ahmad Nazif and Chinese Minister of Information Industry Wu Jichuan signed the memo, the first to be signed by China with any Arab or African nation in this domain.
The memo aims at drawing up strategies and policies in the field of telecommunications and encouraging investment and trade among companies operating in the field of installing and operating communication networks.
In statements to reporters, Nazif highlighted the close relations between Egypt and China, noting that his country is also keen on attracting foreign investments in this domain and is seeking to forge partnership.
Muharak attends the ceremony of launching
Egyptian-Chinese business council
1/25/2002
Arabic News - Egypt's
President Hosni Mubarak Thursday morning attended the ceremony of launching the
Egyptian-Chinese Business Council, which took place in a hotel in the Chinese
capital.
The council is aimed at promoting bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
Attending the ceremony from the Egyptian side were Chairman of the Egyptian
Chambers of Commerce Federation Khaled Abu Ismail and 62 senior Egyptian
businessmen accompanying President Mubarak during his current visit to China.
From the Chinese side, attending were the deputy foreign minister, the deputy
speaker of the People's Assembly and the chairman of the Chinese Council for
Foreign Trade Development.
Minister of Foreign Trade Youssef Boutros Ghali, at the beginning of the
ceremony, delivered a speech where he confirmed that economic and trade
cooperation between the two countries became a strategic must.
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Mubarak, Zemin discuss situation in Palestinian territories
1/24/2002
Arabic News - On the first day of his four-day visit to China, President Mubarak yesterday held two sessions of talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the People's Palace in Beijing.
During those talks, President Mubarak explained a number of facts about what is taking place in the Palestinian territories, the Israeli practices against Palestinians and refuted claims raised by Israel from time to time.
The President also explained the details of the arms ship intercepted by Israel in the Red Sea and underway efforts for avoiding further deterioration in the occupied lands.Egypt-China, Politics,
In this context, the Chinese President expressed his country's commitment to the just cause of the Arab world and expressed support for the Egyptian efforts which are aimed at avoiding further deterioration in the occupied lands.
Reports indicate that talks between the two leaders focused on:
Palestinian cause: President Mubarak asserted that security and stability can only be achieved through maintaining just rights of the Palestinians and the establishment of their independent state.
Combating terrorism: President Mubarak stressed the importance of convening an international conference on terrorism and its significance to the interests of the whole world.
In this context, the Chinese President expressed his country's support for Arab and Islamic countries in their efforts to reject the link between Islam and terrorism.
Egypt, China seek closer ties, agree to "fight terrorism"
10/03/2001
Arabic News - A Chinese diplomat lauded historic relations and bilateral cooperation between Egypt and China, including a firm commitment to fight terrorism.
Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liu Xiaoming said during a reception at his residence on Sunday that both countries boast an ancient civilisation of thousands of years.
Formal diplomatic ties were established 45 years ago by China's late premier Zhou Enlai and Egypt's late president Gamal Abdel Nasser. "This friendship... has been consistently developed and deepened by our leaders and our two peoples," Xiaoming said.
The reception marked the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The guests included Deputy Prime Minister Youssef Wali, Minister of Education Hussein Bahaa el-Din, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ahmed el-Darsh, Minister of Tourism Mamdouh Beltagui and Former Secretary-general of the Arab League Ahmed Meguid.
Egyptian officials said diplomatic ties and cooperation with China has developed considerably over the last period.
China's foreign minister to visit Jordan
Jordan-China, Politics, 12/14/2001
Arabic News - The Chinese Foreign minister Tang Jiang will arrive in Amman on December 24 in an official visit to Jordan that will last for two days at the invitation of the Jordanian foreign minister Abdul Illah al-Khatib.
According to diplomatic sources at the Chinese embassy in Amman, the visiting minister will discuss with high ranking Jordanian officials regional and international issues of mutual concern as well as means of strengthening relations.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Chinese embassy in Amman said that minister Jiang will start his tour on the region by visiting Lebanon and then Syria, Jordan and Egypt, respectively.
Al- Assad, Musharraf open technology center for information in Damascus
Syria-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan, Politics, 1/9/2001
Arabic News - As the Chief executive for the Pakistan Islamic republic gen. Perves Musharaf left Damascus after he took part in the inauguration of the Information technology Center. President Bashar al-Assad received at Damascus al-Shaab palace the second deputy premier and the defense and aviation minister in Saudi Arabia and members of the accompanying delegation.
The plenary meeting was followed by a close door meeting between President al-Assad and prince Sultan.
Talks dealt with matters relating to the situation in the region and on the Arab arena, and conditions emerging from the continued Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people and their rights and lands and the holy sites of Arabs, Muslims and Christians.
Talks also dealt with bilateral relations between the two countries.
President Bashar al-Assad held a dinner banquet at al-Shaab palace in honor of prince Sultan to which invited were members of the delegation accompanying the prince, including princes Khaled Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad; Turkey Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz; Sultan Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz, Faisal Bin saud Bin Muhammad and Faisal Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz.
On the Syrian side the banquet was attended by vice Presidents Abdul Halim Khaddam and Zuheir Masharqa, defense minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa Tlass, the two deputies for the prime minister, the prime minister Mustafa Miro and other high ranking Syrian officials.
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Mubarak, Zemin agree to bolster transfer of Chinese know-how to Egypt
4/18/2000
Arabic News - President Hosni Mubarak met Chinese President Jiang Zemin Yesterday at Ras el -Tin palace in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria and discussed Middle East peace and economic cooperation.
Mubarak and Zemin focused on bilateral cooperation in the field of sophisticated technology, agriculture and joint industries for developing Egyptian-Chinese export commodities.Egypt-China, Politics,
Talks held at the expanded level between the two leaders tackled economic cooperation both at the international and bilateral levels through the development of Egyptian exports to the Chinese market, ways of facilitating trade exchange and encouraging Chinese tourism.
Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif told reporters after the meeting that the two leaders grappled with the new imperatives of globalization and the need to enhance cooperation to withstand future challenges.
Sherif said talks also tackled ways of benefiting from the special economic zone northwest of Gulf of Suez, underlining the importance of benefiting from Chinese experience.
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Is There a Secret Arab-Israeli Trade?
China: no decision prevents Arabs from coming to China
10/17/2001
Arabic News - The Chinese embassy in Amman has denied any decision by the government that prevents the travel of Arab citizens to China.
An official source at the Chinese embassy in Amman said in a press statement that the Consulate section approved on Monday to grant ten Jordanians entry visas to visit China and that more than 100 Jordanians got similar visas during last week.
Al-Assad meets with Chinese foreign minister
12/24/2001
Arabic News - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Damascus al-Shaab Palace on Sunday received the Chinese foreign minister Tang Jian and members of the accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by the foreign minister Farouk al-Shara, the Syrian ambassador in China and the Chinese ambassador in Damascus.
The Chinese foreign minister conveyed to President al-Assad greetings of China's people, government and people, noting that they are waiting for President al-Assad's visit to China. The President promised to pay this visit to China at appropriate time.
Discussions dealt with changes taking place in the world and the importance of mobilizing world efforts to not expanding the current operations beyond Afghanistan and to analyze reasons which led to the promotion of terrorism in the world and dealing with this issue from the point of results led to that.
China backs Palestinian independence
11/8/2000 Palestine China, Politics,
Arabic News - China on Tuesday said it backs the establishment of an independence Palestinian state. The statement was made by vice-speaker of China's national assembly, Tian Jiyun, who is currently on a work visit to Morocco.
The Chinese official, who was meeting speaker of the Moroccan house of representatives (lower house of parliament) Abdelouahed Radi, decried the Israeli atrocities perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
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Sudan, China sign $ 17 million accord
5/24/2000
Arabic News - Sudan has
concluded two contracts totaling $ 17 million with China for the purchase of
power engines and irrigation water pumps.
Under the first contract China will provide Sudan with 40 electric power engines
worth $ 9 million, a release from the ministry of finance in Khartoum said
Tuesday.Sudan-China, Economics,
The engines, each with a daily output of 1 megawatt, will be installed in
different parts of the country
China tackles implementing Libyan railway project
1/25/2000
Arabic News - It was said in Tripoli yesterday that a joint Chinese - Libyan committee assigned to study the railway project which will link Libya to the African countries.Libya-China, Economics,
Ez El-Din El-Henshiri, secretary general of the general Libyan public committee for transportation, discussed during his meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Tripoli, Chai Join, yesterday cooperation relations between the two countries in the field of transportation, especially the Libyan railway project.
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Chinese president gets royal welcome in Morocco
10/28/1999
Arabic News - President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China was given a royal welcome in Rabat this Thursday by King Mohammed VI.
Red carpets, flowers and hundreds of people, chanting slogans for the long life of Moroccan-Chinese relations were there to greet the kingdom's guest, who arrived on Wednesday evening in Rabat.
The visit is per se a sign of the Chinese highest authorities' will to give a new impetus to economic and commercial ties with Morocco and hoist them to the level of the already existing excellent political and diplomatic relations.
Despite a tangible growth in the few past years, trade between Morocco and China remain short of the two sides' ambitions and potentials.
Exchanges went up from $100 million in the 1980s to $252 million in 1998. Morocco exports phosphates and fertilizers to China, while imports are made up mainly of tea, finished consumption goods and ceramics.
Zemin perfectly understands the situation and pleads for a stronger cooperation.
"Morocco and China --two developing nations-- are faced with a joint task: that of developing the economy and promoting their populations' living conditions," Zemin told a Moroccan daily.
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China to produce first textbooks on Islam
6/28/1999
Arabic News - China plans to compile a series of textbooks to help the country's estimated 20 million Muslims improve understanding of Islam which has existed in the country for 1,300 years, the Chinese News Agency (XINHUA) reported on Sunday.
The Chinese Language books will explain the Koran, instructions and Doctrines of Islam in accordance with contemporary Chinese Views on the religion, XINHUA quoted Khalid Yang Zongshan, Vice-President of the China Islamic college and Director of the project, as saying.
He noted that the compilation will require at least five years. Islamic colleges, religious associations and various other institutes nationwide will participate, he added.
The central Government fully supports the effort, according to Li Ge, an official at the state council's religious bureau.
"The Government will provide funding and personnel for the project," said li.
Moroccan city of Agadir twined with Chinese Hangzhou
12/7/1998
Arabic News - The Moroccan southwestern city of Agadir and Chinese peer of Hangzhou were twined under an accord signed here over the weekend.
The accord -concluded on the occasion of the work visit Moroccan Premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi is paying to China- seeks mainly to establish contacts between businessmen from Agadir and Hangzhou.
The covenant is also destined to promote exchanges between the two cities, especially in the realms of culture, youth and sports.
Most of China's tea exports to Morocco come from the city of Hangzhou.
Several economic cooperation accords were concluded during Youssoufi's stay in Beijing. These include an accord under which China will build a nuclear reactor for sea water desalination in Tan Tan (southern Morocco), in addition to a package of deals destined to enhance the level of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries.
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Morocco and China to sign nuclear plant
deal
11/27/1998
Arabic News - Morocco
intends to sign a deal with China for the construction of a nuclear plant to
generate electricity, the spokesman of the Moroccan
government announced on Thursday.
"It will be a small nuclear plant to generate electricity and will be under
the supervision of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),"
Khalid Alioua told the press after a government council meeting.
The 10 Megawatt capacity plant will installed in the region of Marrakesh
(southern Morocco).
Saudi Arabia, China reiterate need for just Middle East peace
10/19/1998
Arabic News - Both China and Saudi Arabia have expressed deep concern over the continuing deadlock in the Middle East peace process.Saudi Arabia-Regional-China, Politics,
The two countries called on the international community to move immediately and effectively to establish a just and comprehensive peace. They also called for resuming negotiations on the Syrian peace track and for carrying out UN Security Council resolution 425 pertaining to Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.
In a joint statement following talks held between Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and senior Chinese officials in Peking, the two countries reiterated the principles on which the Middle East peace process was based, especially the land-for-peace formula and UN Security Council resolutions.
China, U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) for further cooperation
5/19/1998
Arabic News - United Arab Emirates (UAE) Deputy Premier Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed al-Nahyan has asserted the deep relations linking the UAE and China for the interests of the two friendly peoples and countries.
United Arab Emirates-China, Economics,
During his meeting today with a delegation from the Chinese council for international trade promotion, led by the council's deputy chairman, Sheikh Sultan expressed hope to strengthen and develop these relations. He praised the key role played by Chinese companies in taking part in the UAE's current economic build-up and
construction
development.
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China & Israel News
China, Israel sign a trade agreement
1/23/2003 Israel-China, Economics,
Arabic News - Israel and China yesterday signed an agreement on importing and exporting fruits and vegetables and agricultural seeds between the two countries. The agreement also stated ratification the import of Chinese plants used in alternative medical treatment.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot quoted the Chinese deputy minister of agriculture who is in charge of foreign trade, describing the agreement as important "because until now ( when the agreement was signed ) it was not possible to import Israeli vegetables and fruits legally." The agreement was signed following negotiations that lasted for one and a half years. The agreement will be valid very soon.
China for just peace in the Middle East
10/20/2003
Arabic News - The Chinese Special Envoy on the Middle East, Wang Shijie, has stressed his country's firm stance towards the Middle East issue which is "restoring the legitimate Arab rights in order to achieve stability and peace in the world."
In a press conference held in Damascus on Sunday, the Chinese Envoy underlined the necessity for realizing a solution to the Arab -Israeli conflict according to international laws and resolutions, "Madrid Terms Of Reference" and "land-for-peace formula."
He made it clear that his visit to Syria comes in the framework of a round to the region to push the peace process forward.
Regional-China, Politics,
"The stances of Syria and China are similar concerning the Middle East and international issues," Wang added.
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Israel to compensate China over abrogating planes deals
2/15/2002
Arabic News - The chairman of the foreign relations and defense committee at the Israeli Knesset David Magen said on Wednesday that Israel will give compensations to China after abrogating a contract to sell radar planes of
AWACS type.
The Israeli radio unveiled that Israel will pay compensation to China at a cost of USD 350 million, according to the agreement signed with Beijing.Israel-China,
Politics,
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China condemns the Israeli military attacks, economic siege against the Palestinians
1/29/2002
Arabic News - China on Monday expressed its condemnation of the Israeli military operations against the Palestinian territories and the economic siege imposed by Israel on the Palestinians. It urged the resumption of talks between the Israeli and Palestinian sides as soon as possible.
The Chinese News Agency Xinhua quoted the Chinese President Jiang Zemin as saying in a message he addressed to the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat in retaliation to a message Arafat sent last week " we oppose the
Israeli military act which exposes Palestinian civilians properties and life vulnerable."
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Story
Beijing warns Israel of deterioration of relations
12/21/2001
Arabic News - China on Wednesday warned Israel of the deterioration of their bilateral relations if a:satisfactory arrangement will not be made to settle the dispute resulting from Israel's canceling a deal provided for selling Radar planes to Beijing in 2000.
The spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry Zang Kue said replying to a question about this canceled deal:" we hope that countries concerned are to shoulder the responsibility and to propose satisfactory solution for the Chinese side in order not to undermine relations between China and these countries."
Israel China, Politics, policies,
However, the Israeli press had stated that China asked for " very heavy compensations" after the former Israeli prime minister for the labor party Ehud Barak in 2000 canceled a deal for selling Israeli radar planes of " Falcon" type at the request of the US.
The Americans had opposed this deal on the ground that these planes might constitute a threat to the security of its warship in case they will be in a mission of defending Taiwan.
A statement issued by the Israeli ministry of defense on December 17 stressed Israel has recently started talks with the Chinese government in order to eliminate the misunderstanding in the bilateral relations through settling the " Falcon planes" issue by arrangements to be agreed upon by the two sides." For her part Zang refused to assert the Israeli press information. She said " we consider that the agreements or protocols signed among countries should be honored. These are the main base for the relations between one country and the other." However, the abrogation of the deal made a distance in the relations between Beijing and Tel Aviv.
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Kings
of the East China's foreign minister discusses in Amman conditions in
Middle East, the Palestinian territories
12/26/2001
Arabic News - The Jordanian King Abdullah II has discussed with the Chinese foreign minister Tang Jia Kson, currently visiting Jordan within a framework of a ME tour conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories and efforts that can be made by China in support of the peace process, the situation in Afghanistan and the international efforts to fighting terrorism.
A statement issued by the Jordanian Royal court on Monday said that the talks also dealt with the steps already started by the two countries to develop and promote bilateral relations in the fields of trade and encouraging joint investments.
On Monday at noon the Jordanian side led by the foreign minister Abdul Illah al-Khatib and the Chinese side chaired by Jia Kson held a meeting in which they discussed developments of conditions in the ME region and in the Palestinian territories and the conditions the Palestinians suffer as a result of the Israeli siege and practices, the sanctions imposed on Iraq and bilateral relations at various levels.Jordan-China, Politics,
Following the meeting, the Chinese minister explained that his talks with al-Khatib reflected the identical view points of the two countries towards various issues in the region. " We are working together in order to establish peace in the Middle East.," the Chinese minister said.
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Israeli sale and transfer of critical US technology
5/14/1999
Arabic News - A joint US - Israeli laser defense program designed to protect Israel against Katyusha attacks, sometimes used in south Lebanon fighting, may be enabling Israel to transfer classified US military technology to China.
In January, the US Washington Times daily reported that the US Defense Intelligence Agency believes that Israel has shared the technology it has received during the development of the project, the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL), with China. The paper cited sources familiar with a DIA report as saying that the agency suspects that the technology was shared and that the Israeli government agency Rafael obtained "restricted" technology from a US defense contractor. The suspicions were brought about by reports from the contractor involved, the report said, and contractor TRW Space and Electronics Group stopped supplying information to the Israelis due to the transfers to Rafael.
The DIA report said that there are reports that "Chinese weapons technicians" are working in secret with Israeli Aircraft Industries, another contractor on the project, Washington Times reported.
The laser project was begun in 1996, and according to a report published Tuesday by the Israeli daily Haaretz, it will not be ready for testing until early 2000. Haaretz added that the project has cost $132 million so far and that the Israeli government, which it said has paid for about a third of the project, is considering halting its involvement. Haaretz said that TRW has been responsible for about $30 million in cost overruns, prompting the Israeli reconsideration.
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Story Here
Israel satisfied with China's decision on technology transfer to Iran
12/23/1997
Arabic News - In their Monday's talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in Jerusalem, Israeli officials focused on demanding China stop providing Teheran with sophisticated military technology.
Following his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said: "China is one of the world's major friendly states and we are content with its decision to halt technology and arms transfer," referring to countries such as Iran.
Qian: China for Mid East peace according to
"Madrid" terms of reference
12/25/1997
Arabic News - China's Foreign
Minister Qian Qichen stressed his country's stand in support of the ME peace process according to Madrid terms of reference and relevant UN resolutions.
In a statement he made on Wednesday following his meeting with Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa, the Chinese minister added, "Peace and security are inseparable and without peace there will be no security."
He went on to say that the Israelis speak about redeployment whereas China believes it is supposed to talk about an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, rather than redeployment. The Chinese minister stressed, "China does not agree to impose sanctions on a certain country," referring to the need to lift UN Security Council sanctions against Iraq.
China has expressed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Cooperation between China and the Mid-East Gulf region growing
10/14/1997
Arabic News - In an unprecedented move of cultural cooperation between China and the Gulf region, GCC member States are organizing a cultural week in Beijing. Delegations from all GCC countries are visiting the Chinese capital to supervise special GCC cultural activities that started yesterday.
Every country has a pavilion containing items showing cultural, artistic, scientific, social and economic progress over the past decades in each of the countries respectively.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4071011.stm
