Elvira Kadyrova
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad. The first-ever participation of the China in the gathering of the heads of foreign ministries of Islamic states became momentous event amidst ongoing tectonic shifts in the entire system of international political relations.
At the opening ceremony of the session of the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting, Wang Yi made a number of political statements describing Beijing’s intentions to advance cooperation with Islamic countries to a qualitatively new level in a multipolar world. In this context, the following messages can be highlighted in the remarks of the top Chinese diplomat:
- Both Chinese and Islamic civilizations are ancient civilizations with significant global influence. The exchanges between us date back centuries. Our exchanges have withstood the test of international vicissitudes, and enjoy a deep historical foundation and solid support from our peoples. Friendship has been the mainstream of our relations, equality the basis of our interaction, and mutual benefit the goal of our cooperation.
- Belt and Road cooperation has become a bridge and bond connecting our two sides for development and prosperity. To date, China has signed BRI cooperation documents with 54 Islamic countries and launched nearly 600 large-scale projects worth of US$400 billion. The cooperation has delivered real benefits to the people of China and Islamic countries.
- Both Chinese and Islamic civilizations have been treated unjustly in modern times. And today both are moving forward hand in hand on the journey toward development and rejuvenation. We should vigorously advocate equal-footed dialogue, resist “civilization profiling”, and reject the notion of clash of civilizations.
- In this volatile and changing world, the theme of this Session — “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice and Development” — answers the common call of the majority of countries in the world. China will work with Islamic countries to uphold true multilateralism, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and safeguard the UN-centered international system.
- Our two sides need to firmly support each other in defending national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, firmly support each other in independently exploring the development path befitting our respective national conditions.
- China will continue to provide 300 million doses of vaccine to Islamic countries to help them build a line of defence for health.
- China will pursue high quality Belt and Road cooperation and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
- China will continue to support the efforts by Islamic countries to use Islamic wisdom to solve current hotspot issues and to hold the key to peace and stability firmly in their own hands. Wang Yi pointed to the Palestinian issue, the Kashmir issue and Afghanistan’s efforts to create an inclusive political structure. “China supports Russia and Ukraine in continuing their peace talks, and hopes that the talks will lead to ceasefire, end the fighting, and bring about peace. Humanitarian disasters should be avoided, and spillover of the Ukrainian crisis should be prevented so as not to affect and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other regions and countries”, he stressed.
- China and Islamic countries need to advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and reject the practice of stoking division and confrontation by drawing ideological lines. Wang Yi also called for Islamic countries to oppose attempts to distort or vilify non-Western civilizations.
- China is a sincere friend and cooperation partner of the Islamic world. We stand ready to work with Islamic countries to promote multipolarity in the world, democracy in international relations and diversity of human civilizations. /// nCa, 28 March 2022