Keywords to Understand China

Keywords are one of the best ways to understand a country. In China， with the rapid development in different areas， the keywords keep changing. ChinAfrica presents a selection of prevailing keywords to help readers understand China better.

“China-Arab States Cooperation Forum”

The launch of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum （CASCF） was announced by then Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing of China and Secretary General Amr Moussa of the League of Arab States on January 30， 2004 after then Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the headquarters of the league， and met with Secretary General Amr Moussa and representatives of this 22-member organization.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Sixth CASCF Ministerial Meeting on June 5， 2014， President Xi Jinping characterized the CASCF as of strategic importance for the long-term development of bilateral relations and substantive cooperation.

The Seventh CASCF Ministerial Meeting was held in Doha， capital of Qatar， on May 12， 2016. President Xi and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani each sent a letter of congratulations to the meeting. Under the theme of “Jointly Building the Belt and Road to Reinforce Strategic Cooperation，” the meeting reached a broad consensus on bilateral relations and future work of the CASCF.

By July 2016， seven CASCF ministerial meetings and 13 senior officials meetings had been held， and other mechanisms of cooperation have also been functioning well.

“Asia Cooperation Dialogue”

The Asia Cooperation Dialogue （ACD） is the only mechanism for official dialogue and cooperation covering the whole of Asia. Inaugurated in 2002， it aims to promote exchanges in areas such as agriculture， energy and poverty reduction， and boost Asia-wide cooperation and development through dialogue.

ACD activities are conducted through its summits， foreign ministers meetings， prime movers in specific areas， and meetings of high-level study groups. To date， two ACD summits and 14 foreign ministers meetings have been convened.

Attaching great importance to the dialogue， China is an active participant in ACD activities and supports strengthening the ACD to better serve Asia-wide development and integration.

To this end， it has hosted events such as the ACD Forum on Silk Road Cooperation， the ACD Forum on Belt and Road Cooperation and the Asia Business Conference.

“Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation”

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation （CAREC） program was established in 1996 by the Asian Development Bank and upgraded to ministerial level in 2002.

It has grown into a major mechanism for economic cooperation in Central Asia， with an institutional framework of the Ministerial Conference， the Senior Officials Meeting， coordinating committees in priority areas， and regional business roundtables.

CAREC envisions accelerated growth and poverty reduction through cooperation among member countries in transport， trade， energy and other key sectors.

CAREC countries comprise Afghanistan， Azerbaijan， China， Georgia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Mongolia， Pakistan， Tajikistan， Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The Asian Development Bank， World Bank， International Monetary Fund， United Nations Development Program， European Bank for Reconstruction and Development， Islamic Development Bank， and some bilateral assistance organizations in developed countries have supported projects as partners under the CAREC program.

“China-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue”

The first round of China-Gulf Cooperation Council （GCC） Strategic Dialogue was held in Beijing in June 2010. Then Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi co-chaired the dialogue with his counterparts in Kuwaiti and the United Arab Emirates， and then GCC Secretary General Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah. They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Dialogue.

The second round of strategic dialogue was held in Abu Dhabi in May 2011， and the third round in Beijing in January 2014. President Xi Jinping met with the GCC delegation to the meeting. The two sides agreed to build a China-GCC strategic partnership and resume talks on a China-GCC free trade area. They also developed an action plan for cooperation from 2014 to 2017.

The six GCC member states are located where the ancient Silk Road routes converged. Their strategic location and their development potential make them natural and important partners for the Belt and Road Initiative. The China-GCC dialogue platform is therefore ideally suited for cooperation in this regard.

“Greater Mekong Sub-Region Economic Cooperation”

The Greater Mekong Sub-Region （GMS） Economic Cooperation is a sub-regi onal economic cooperation mechanism involving the six countries located at least partly within the river basin - China， M yanmar， Laos， Thailand， Cambodia and Viet Nam. Established in 1992， it is designed to strengthen sub-regional economic ties and promote economic and social development in the sub-region.

The program has been sponsored， coordinated and funded mainly by the Asian Development Bank. Its highest decisionmaking organ is the GMS Summit of Leaders， held every three years and hosted by a member state on the basis of alphabetical rotation. Policy direction for the program is discussed at the Ministerial Conference， under which meetings of senior officials and a range of working groups and forums in priority sectors are convened.

Since 1992， substantial progress has been achieved in implementing GMS projects in key areas such as transport， energy， power， infrastructure， agriculture， tourism， information and communications， environment， human resources development， and economic corridor development.

China attaches great importance to the GMS economic cooperation， and actively participates in the planning and implementation of projects at different levels and in various fields， in an effort to improve the well-being of all member states.

“Cooperation Between China and Central and Eastern European Countries”

The mechanism for cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European （CEE） countries， commonly known as “16+1，” has been established to facilitate collaboration between China and the 16 CEE countries on issues of common concern. The 17 countries agree to respect each others sovereignty， independence， and territorial integrity， broaden understanding of each others approach to development， and work to realize goals under the “16+1” framework in line with their own specific needs and priorities and based on equality， consultation， mutual complementarity， and cooperation for mutual benefit.

An innovative framework for subregional cooperation， the “16+1” opens new avenues for increased engagement between traditionally friendly countries. It is a platform that while focusing on South-South cooperation， also embraces South-North cooperation.

Thanks to the joint endeavors of the participants， the “16+1” has grown into an omni-dimensional， wide-ranging， and multi-channel framework that is harvesting fruitful results.

A more effective alignment between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the “16+1” framework will create a super engine for the train of ChinaCEE cooperation， expand the channels of investment and trade for the countries along the route， and bring benefits to both China and the CEE countries.