China's growing influence in Middle East peace initiatives is gaining recognition, with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi praising Beijing's role in facilitating the Saudi-Iran deal and stressing the need for collective action on regional issues, including the Palestinian conflict.
Speaking on Monday during the First China-GCC Forum on the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology in Chengdu, the provincial capital of southwest China's Sichuan, Albudaiwi highlighted China's significant contributions to regional peace and cooperation.
"I must highly recommend the role China is playing in the international arena and especially in our region, in the Middle East. China played a wonderful role in normalizing the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran in March 2023. China played a wonderful role. We totally appreciate China's policies and attitude towards many issues in the Middle East," Albudaiwi told China Global Television Network (CGTN).
As head of the Gulf organization, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Albudaiwi emphasized that resolving geopolitical tensions in the region requires urgent global attention.
"The geopolitical tension in the region needs global attention. There are many elements that needs to be addressed. It is the Palestinian-Israeli question that needs to be resolved immediately in order for us to look at the other issues," Albudaiwi added.
Albudaiwi also underscored the strong economic progress of GCC countries, noting their commitment to helping neighboring nations overcome challenges.
"The six GCC countries are prosperous, advanced, developed, and they have all strong economies. But unfortunately, some of our neighbors have major problems, and we are very much interested in helping these neighbors overcome their problems in order for the region to all prosper and live in peace," Albudaiwi said.
GCC secretary-general praises China for Middle East peace efforts
