The Riyadh Declaration of 2022

The Riyadh Declaration of 2022 issued by both China and the Arab League at the end of the first China- Arab States Summit, is an affirmation from both sides that enhancing existing strategic cooperation and working towards attaining global peace is way forward.

The declaration comes as President Xi Jinping’s successful tour of the Middle East resulted in commonalities, agreements and principled positions from both China and the Arab League on promoting regional prosperity and devising comprehensive solutions for conflict resolution. The declaration provides plenty of takeaways which broadens the scope of regional and international peace.

Firstly, leaderships on both sides voiced readiness to capitalise on the existing frameworks of the China Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) which was the first time that the Arab League established a cooperation forum with any state in 2004. Through the CASCF, multiple countries can negotiate for the development of Dead Sea Initiatives, railway projects and nuclear power which fall under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as China had aptly framed it in 2018. Economic trends that can advance the CASCF also bring optimism. Note that China’s trade with the Arab World is slated to become the third largest in 2022 where it stood at $330 billion in 2021. Over the past decade, trade has grown by $100 billion with China’s stock of investments to the Arab League reaching $23 billion. These positive trends open up further avenues for jointly exploring new sources of growth such as green energy, low carbon development and building of resilient digital economies. On global peace and development, the declaration spoke of Arab states highly valuing China’s efforts to contributing and spreading international peace and development through the Global Development Initiative ( GDI) which speaks of developing world digital education alliances, poverty reduction schemes, consolidating food security goals and renewable energy projects which are in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Saudi Arabia and China are two major players in the world economy and it is imperative that both countries along with Arab League states leverage advantages related to oil and gas resources in the right direction. As the Ukraine War continues to escalate, the need for a sound supply base to fuel the world economy is critical. This Declaration goes a long way in this regard.

Alongside expanding trading ties, the Riyadh Declaration goes on to address global security quagmires which includes the decades-long Palestinian Israeli conflict which has not witnessed a workable solution that caters to all sides of the conflict. Both China and the Arab League called for a just, equitable, proportional and legal resolution to the crisis based on the two-state solution while also calling on Israel to end its occupation and return Palestine to its 1967 borders. This stance is testament to how both sides denounce neo-colonialism in the modern era that is aimed at suppressing occupied populations while calling for international law and justice to prevail in the absence of coercion or the use of force. The strategic wisdom enshrined in the Riyadh Declaration of 2022 also stands in stark contrast to repeated American diplomatic failures in the region that has contributed to greater instability across the Middle East.

Washington D.C.’s stance on the conflict has vacillated from either recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel under the Trump administration or failing to take a principled position on human rights violations under the Biden administration. Under this joint affirmation, China and Arab states are taking up positions that are devoid of selectivity or binaries while ensuring that the Palestinians are guaranteed their just right of self-determination under international law.

Alongside Palestine, the declaration makes it clear that the Arab League acknowledges that Taiwan is an integral part of China and respects Beijing’s territorial sovereignty and integrity. Note that all Arab countries adhere to the ‘One China Principle’ and praised China’s role in developing and perfecting democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative region within the framework of ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ This respect for state sovereignty again calls for an end to neo-colonialism in the Asia Pacific region with trust, joint understandings and mutual interests guiding the region.

The Middle East has also been ravaged by decades of conflicts beyond the Palestinian Israeli issue with proxy warfare taking place in Yemen, tensions with neighbouring Iran over its nuclear program and insecurity and instability taking a toll on neighbouring Iraq.

Instead of mulling the option of building military alliances, as has been the case with NATO, leaders spoke of reaching a political solution in conflicts such as Yemen by building on outcomes from United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2261, the Gulf Initiative and a comprehensive national dialogue with Yemen. Similarly, on Syria and Lebanon, standing by Syrian sovereignty and building on UNSCR 2254 which calls for an end to all hostilities was considered the right course of action for all parties to follow.

It is clear that the tenets of the Riyadh Declaration of 2022 set ideal standards for peace that both the Arab League and China as major international players will strive to uphold. It acts as a blueprint for sustainable peace.

The writer is an Assistant Research Associate at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute