The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China on Thursday celebrated the 45th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and China.
The event was held under the auspices of Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali al Harthy, Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs.
Speaking on the occasion, Al Harthy said that this event is an indicator of the advance relations between the two countries. He reaffirmed that both sides are keen to enhance those relations, especially on the economic level.
On her turn, Li Lingbing, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Sultanate of Oman, lauded the relations between the two countries.
She also affirmed that bilateral cooperation has enhanced rapidly and covers many fields.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event aimed at highlighting the cultural exchange between Oman and China, Li Lingbing remembered that the cultural exchange between China and the Arab world has a long and profound history.
“Over 2,000 years ago, the civilisations of China and the Arab world encountered each other along the Silk Road, creating a mutual brilliance. The Arab folktales collection ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ is well-known in China, and Arab-style music, dance, attire and architecture are deeply appreciated in China. Similarly, ancient Chinese culture and art, as well as porcelain, silk, tea, paper-making and other innovations also spread to Arab countries and were further disseminated to Europe through the Arab nations,” she added.
Titled ‘China-Oman Cultural Exchange and Music Appreciation Event’, the day that marked the establishment of diplomatic relations between Oman and China also witnessed Professor Yang Zhijian, renowned Guqin player from the China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) and his team along with Fatima al Balushi, Oud player from the Royal Opera House Muscat, and Al Asaad Abbas, a Professor in Music creating a medley of traditional music and culture from China and the Arab world using the most ancient and representative instruments from both Oman and China. Professor Zhijian played ‘Qinglai Qin’, one of the top-quality Guqin in the collection of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
History has that around 1,300 years ago, the famous Omani navigator Abu Obeid set off from the Omani port city of Suhar and sailed on a wooden ship to Guangzhou, China, and became the first Arab to be recorded in the history of China, which also opened the prelude to the friendly exchanges between China and the Arab world.
Six hundred years ago, Chinese navigator Zheng He embarked on seven voyages to the Western Seas (which refers to the North Indian Ocean and its coastal regions), reaching Dhofar and other regions of Oman many times, and was known as an envoy of friendship and knowledge.
In order to commemorate the historical friendship between China and Oman spanning over a thousand years, China and Oman built the ‘Sohar Monument’ in Guangzhou, China, and the ‘Zheng He Monument’ in Salalah.
At the First China-Arab States Summit in December last year, President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Arab countries should increase exchanges among civilisations to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and set an example of inter-civilisational exchanges and mutual learning in the new era.
Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilisation Initiative, stressing the need to jointly advocate respect for the diversity of civilisations, promote the common values of humanity, and attach importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilisations, and robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
It is noteworthy that the bilateral relations between the Sultanate of Oman and China witnessed a great development in various economic, trade, cultural, sports, health and other fields, and achieved results, and culminated in the declaration of the strategic partnership between them on May 25, 2018, to support joint economic and investment projects.
The event was attended by several officials and heads of diplomatic missions in Oman.
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