On June 8, 2018, the high-end forum on “Achievements and Experience of China-Arab Cooperation under the Framework of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’” was held in Tengchong, Yunnan Province. It was hosted by Chinese Association of Middle East Studies (CHAMES) and Yunnan Federation of Social Science Circles and was co-organized by Tengchong Municipal Committee of the CPC and the project group of “Middle East Strategies of Powers”, an innovative project of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Over 30 experts and scholars from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (FMPRC), the International Department, Central Committee of CPC, Yunnan Federation of Social Science Circles (IDCPC), CASS, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), People’s Daily, the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), School of Arabic of Ningxia University (NXU), the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies of Northwest University (NWU), Nanjing University (NJU), Jilin University (JLU) etc., attended the forum.

Zhang Ruicai, President of Yunnan Federation of Social Sciences Circles, Yang Guang, President of CHAMES, and leading cadres from Tengchong Municipal Committee of the CPC delivered opening speeches successively. Professor Lu Zhongwei, former President of CICIR, Mr. Wu Sike, China’s former Special Envoy on Middle East Issue, H.E. Xie Xiaoyan, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Syrian Issue, Professor Yang Guang, and Mr. Zhang Jianwei, Deputy Director of Bureau III of IDCPC, delivered keynote speeches respectively.

During the presentation session, Professor Liu Zhongmin, Director of the Middle East Studies Institute of SISU, made a speech titled “The Game among External Forces and the Syrian Crisis”; Professor Liao Baizhi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Middle East Studies of CICIR, spoke on “Trump’s Middle East policy and Changes in the Region”; Professor Yu Guoqing from IWAAS delivered a speech titled “Views on the Israel-Palestine Community of Shared Future and the Prospects for Peace”; Professor Guo Rui from the School of Public Administration at Jilin University gave a speech on “New Changes in the West-Asian Situation and China’s Diplomacy to West Asia”; Assistant Researcher Li Zixin from CIIS spoke on “The Prospects for and Regional Impacts of the Iran Nuclear Deal in the Context of U.S.’s Withdrawal”.

Then there were two discussion sessions during which experts and scholars discussed about China’s great power diplomacy and its Middle East policies, hot issues in the Middle East and its development tendency, transformation and upgrading of China-Arab cooperation, geopolitics and security risks in the promotion of the “Belt and Road Initiative” and so on. Professor Wang Lincong, Professor Tang Zhichao, Professor Cheng Hong, Professor Yu Guoqing, Associate Professor Wang Feng, Associate Professor Zhan Shiming, Assistant Research Fellow Ma Xueqing, Dr. Zhu Quangang from IWAAS attended and spoked at the forum.