(photo by people.cn--People's Daily)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United Arab Emirates (the UAE). Under the strategic guidance of the heads of two states, China-UAE relations have maintained a sound momentum of development, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has been deepened and solidified, setting a model for China-UAE relations in the new era.

Standing at a new historical juncture, China and the UAE are willing to further carry forward the traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen cooperation, and promote the thriving development of the China- UAE comprehensive strategic partnership at all times to better benefit the peoples of the two countries.

"Arab-Chinese cooperation in various fields is full of vitality"

Sounding a long whistle, the container ship "Xinhaikou" from Yangpu Port in Hainan province, China, slowly berthed at the Abu Dhabi Terminal of COSCO SHIPPING Port in Khalifa Port of the UAE. With the lifting and lowering of the bridge crane, containers loaded with Chinese commodities were transported to the storage yard for yarding.

The terminal, which is operated by a joint venture between COSCO SHIPPING Port and Abu Dhabi Ports Authority, has seen a continuous increase in throughput since the opening of the port in December 2018, with the cumulative throughput exceeding 5 million TEUs as of July this year. The growth of port throughput and the number of cargo ships to and from the port epitomize the dynamic development of China-Arab pragmatic cooperation.

Since the establishment of China-UAE diplomatic relations, bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has been developing rapidly. The UAE has been China's largest export market and second largest trading partner in the Middle East for many years. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume between China and the UAE has reached nearly 100 billion dollars.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, the UAE has actively responded to and participated in it. The supporting infrastructure of the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone was fully completed, with more than 1,000 enterprises contacted, and has moved from the stage of development and construction to that of operation and management. The UAE Federal Railway, which was built with the participation of Chinese enterprises, runs through the north and south, connecting major industrial hubs, manufacturing centers, logistics hinges, densely populated areas and important ports and harbors, to boost the development of the local economy and people's livelihood. Landmark projects such as the establishment of China-UAE Investment Cooperation Fund, the renewal of the bilateral local currency swap agreement, cooperative exploration of Multiple Central Bank Digital Currency Bridge (m-CBDC Bridge)......were carried out consistently one after another, adding momentum for both sides to enhance people's well-being and promote common progress.

"The cooperation between the UAE and China is vibrant in various fields, especially the economic and trade cooperation yielding fruitful outcomes," the UAE's Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said. Al Marri added that the UAE has a good economic foundation and special geographical advantages, and it is believed that the two sides' joint efforts to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation can inject new impetus into the realization of further development of China-UAE economic and trade cooperation.

"Greater success will be achieved once we work together to advance sustainable development"

At the Desert Hinterland, about 45 kilometers south of the center of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, rows of photovoltaic modules are spread out on the sand, providing a steady stream of green power for the local community.

In June last year, the Al Dhafra photovoltaic power station constructed by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) officially entered into commercial operation. With an installed capacity of 2.1 GW, the project's power generation can meet the electricity needs of about 200,000 households in the UAE, reduce carbon emissions by over 2.4 million tons per year, and raise the proportion of clean energy in the UAE's total energy mix to more than 13%, making positive contributions to promoting energy transformation and sustainable development.

In February this year, in the solar-thermal and photovoltaic integrated power generation project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park Phase IV, contracted to build by Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd., all power-generating units were connected to the grid and put into commercial operation, which is regarded as another milestone on the road to sustainable development in the UAE. "China is a leader in the development of the new energy sector, where China and the UAE have fruitful cooperation results," said Omar Hassan, the executive director of the project. "With common goals and unlimited potential, we two countries will reap greater achievements in joining hands on the way to push ahead sustainable development."

In Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, a high-speed green hydrogen refueling pilot station jointly built by Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Technology and Equipment Co., Ltd. has successfully started running, facilitating the development of green transportation in the UAE. Through cooperation with local car-hailing platforms, WeRide's self-driving taxis have been commercially operated on public roads in Abu Dhabi, attracting a lot of people to experience them. Logistics service companies such as J&T Express have solve the "last mile" problems for e-commerce cooperation between the two sides and vitalize the development of digital economy cooperation......

At present, China-UAE cooperation is constantly being upgraded and elevated. Facing the opportunities from the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the two sides have been actively expanding cooperation in high-tech fields such as new energy, information technology and digital economy, and continuously enhanced the value of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

"Laying a solid foundation for China-UAE friendship from generation to generation"

Ubiquitous Chinese logos, various kinds of Peking Opera masks and childlike paintings on the theme of China-UAE friendship......walking into the Hamdan Bin Zayed School, a demonstration school of the "Hundred Schools Project" ("Project") for Chinese language teaching in the UAE, the rich Chinese elements glutted visitors' eyes, and the children skillfully greeted the reporter in Chinese.

In July 2019, China and the UAE signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Beijing to officially launch the Project. Over the past 5 years, the Project has developed rapidly, and Chinese learning has become a new fashion in the UAE, covering students of all ages from kindergarten to high school. Up to now, more than 170 schools in the UAE have offered Chinese language courses, and over 70,000 students have been learning Chinese.

"Cultural exchanges and dialogue between the two nations are essential to promote mutual understanding and respect, and the fruitful results of Chinese teaching have consolidated the foundation of friendship between us for generations to come," Fatima Ahmed Bastaki, executive director of the Project, said.

Friendship, which derives from close contact between the peoples, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, China-UAE humanistic exchanges have become rich and colorful, and mutual understanding and friendship have been steadily deepened, establishing a sound foundation for the friendship between China and the UAE.

In January this year, Abu Dhabi Art 2024, with China as the guest of honor, kicked off. At the festival, performers from the National Ballet of China presented the Chinese Lunar New Year ballet "Chinese New Year", enabling the local audiences to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture. As part of the series of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary, Xinjiang Song and Dance Troupe, China National Symphony Orchestra and many other well-known art troupes visited the UAE and exchanged views there, bringing the people of the UAE a feast of culture and art. Huda Kanu, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, expressed that both China and the UAE have rich and splendid cultures, and cultural and artistic exchanges can further enhance understanding and friendship between the two nations.

Ambassador of the UAE to China H.E. Hussain Al Hammadi said, as the traditional friendship between China and the UAE spanned thousands of years, the bilateral ties have been constantly strengthened, and the two countries have always been moving forward side by side on the road of promoting international cooperation and pursuing win-win development. The continued booming of friendly China-UAE relations will bring greater prosperity and stability to both sides and the whole world.

Zhang Yiming, Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, said that China and the UAE are comprehensive strategic partners, close friends who share the same vision, and good brothers who firmly support each other. Looking ahead, China is ready to work with the UAE side to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state of the two countries, further promote traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, and ensure the vigorous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UAE for the betterment of the two countries' peoples.