Qatar has become a leading power and oasis of safety: Chinese envoy

Ashraf Siddiqui Doha The Embassy of China in Qatar organised an online event with fervour to celebrate the 72nd National Day of the People’s Republic of Ch...

Ashraf SiddiquiDohaThe Embassy of China in Qatar organised an online event with fervour to celebrate the 72nd National Day of the People’s Republic of China. Those present on the occasion included Minister of Commerce and Industry and Acting Minister of Finance of Qatar HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Director of Protocol Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ibrahim Yousuf Fakhroo, ambassadors, and other dignitaries. In his address, Ambassador of China to Qatar HE Zhou Jian said that 2021 is a year of special significance in the history of China and Qatar as the Communist Party of China celebrated its 100th anniversary, while Qatar has seen great achievements since its Independence 50 years ago. He said that from the past to the present, and looking to the future, there are two phrases that could best summarize the development of China and Qatar -- “inherit spirits” and “pursue dreams”. “On the journey towards the dreams of rejuvenation, China and Qatar, with our national spirits, have been forging ahead with dedication and hard work,” he said.Lauding Qatar’s remarkable achievements, the envoy said that under the leadership of past and present Amirs, Qatar has upheld the faiths of hard work, openness and diversification; defended national sovereignty and stability; developed a diversified economy; expanded opening to the global market; and actively carried out a strong foreign policy. “Through these efforts, Qatar has turned from a small fishing village into a leading power and an oasis of safety and development,” he said.“This year, Qatar continues to make great strides towards its Vision 2030. We can see the steady progress in the Shura Council election, the success in pandemic control and vaccination, as well as robust economic recovery and smooth preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” he added. “Qatar’s diplomacy, especially its efforts in places like Afghanistan, has also been widely recognised. “What impressed me most is Qatar’s success in the Tokyo Olympic Games, where we have seen the first-ever gold medal in Qatar’s history, with overall medals topping the Arab world. “In particular, Qatar’s high jumper Barshim shared the gold medal with his Italian competitor, which perfectly illustrated the Olympic spirit of ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger and Together’.”Talking about bilateral diplomatic relations, Jian said this year marks the 33rd anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Qatar. “Over the past 33 years, we have supported each other on issues of core interests, helped each other in exploring respective development paths, gained mutual understanding through exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, and stood together in the fight against the pandemic,” he said.“China highly appreciates Qatar’s unique role in the ceasefire and reduction of violence between Palestine and Israel, in promoting the de-escalation in the Gulf region, and in the mediation efforts on Afghanistan issues. “We are ready to work with Qatar to find the key to peace and explore the path of development, so as to make greater contribution to regional and world peace and development.”He said this year, Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau and director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, paid a successful visit to Qatar, raising the mutual political trust to a new level.On trade relations, the envoy said that trade volume between China and Qatar has seen rapid growth as China remains Qatar’s largest trading partner. “Our two sides have signed a LNG long-term agreement of 2 million tonnes per year for 10 years. Chinese electric buses will roll into the 2022 World Cup, and our pragmatic cooperation has made new achievements,” he said.The envoy added that 2022 will be a significant year for both countries as the Olympic flame will be lit in Beijing in February and FIFA World Cup will make its debut in the Arab world in Qatar in November of the same year.He stressed that both the major events will give strong support to China’s Vision 2035 and Qatar National Vision 2030. On China’s achievements in the last 100 years of Independence, ambassador Jian said that once a poverty-stricken country, China has now emerged as the second largest economy in the world, adding that under the leadership of the CPC, China has accomplished industrialisation within decades, which took developed countries hundreds of years to achieve. He said that in start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, in the first half of 2021, China’s GDP exceeded 53 trillion yuan, rising by 12.7 percent year-on-year, leading the world in growth. He added that areas such as crewed space mission, Mars exploration, chip research and nuclear fusion development have seen frequent achievements. He said China is leading the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, providing more than one billion doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organisations.