MUSCAT: Omani-Chinese relations have been developing significantly in the last 40 years, with China having emerged as the biggest trade partner of Oman. The two countries have had fruitful cooperation in the area of politics, economy, investment and culture.
In May 2018, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and President Xi Jinping jointly announced the establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries. It took the bilateral relationship to a higher level and drew a grand blueprint for the future development of bilateral relationship.
The two nations signed an MoU for jointly building the ‘Belt and Road’, which has built a new platform for pragmatic cooperation in all areas.
“Under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, we shall make the best of our different advantages in capital, technology, market and resource, together explore new areas of mutual benefit and win-win progress, build a wider space and create more opportunities for bilateral cooperation,” said Li Lingbing, Ambassador of China to the Sultanate.
The ambassador said that last year marked the 40th anniversary of China, making the historic decision of going for reform and opening up.
Citing Confucius, China’s ancient ideologist, she said: “When one becomes 40, he will no longer suffer from perplexity, it means one person, after 40 years of development and accumulation, shall have a more rational and clear knowledge about the natural law of development.”
She added: “Looking back in the history after 40 years, we shall have a better understanding of the fact that reform and opening up is the key decision which determined the fate of China. It is the only way that leads China to development and progress; it not only deeply changed China, but also deeply influenced the world.”
“In the past 40 years, through the great course of reform and opening up, Chinese people have made extraordinary historical achievements. In 1978, China’s gross domestic product was 364.5 billion yuan ($175 billion), and it reached 82.7 trillion yuan ($12 trillion) in 2017, with an annual average growth rate of 9.5 per cent. China’s economic aggregate now is 225 times as it was in 1978, and the value of foreign trade has increased from $12.3 billion to more than $4 trillion,” she said.
She affirmed that China has now become the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest goods trader and the country with the largest stockpile of foreign exchanges.
China has realised the great leap from the low-income country to middle-income country.
She said reform and opening up was a great course for China to develop together with the world.
“In the past 40 years, China has always acted as a responsible major power in the progress of opening to the world. We have made significant contribution facing the Asia Financial Crisis in 1997 and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. As the key anchor and driver for the world economy growth, China has been contributing over 30 per cent to world economic growth for many years.”
She said China has attracted foreign investment for a cumulative total of $2 trillion, and become the trade partner of more than 120 countries.
“By the end of July 2018, China had 802 million Internet users and 533 million online shoppers. China is now stepping into a cashless society. Nowadays, all payments in China, even buying food from snack bars, can be completed through smartphones,” she said.
In the 40 years of reform, China has gained a wealth of valuable experience, which includes the strong leadership of an experienced political party, free of minds and theoretical innovation, gradual reformation and the balance between reform, development and stability.
“As President Xi Jingping said on the conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, “Openness leads to progress while seclusion leaves one behind. China cannot realise development without the world, the world cannot achieve prosperity without China.”
“The 21st century is a century of cooperation. A broad vision will open up broad vistas for our future cooperation”. China will “adhere to a wider openness, and build a community with a shared future for mankind”.
“This is a clear signal from the China’s top leader demonstrating that China will carry on reform and opening up policy,” she explained.
— ONA
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