A symposium held on Monday on the Oman-China Historical Relations, organised by Oman-China Friendship Association in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy and SQU, traced the deeply rooted ties between the two friendly countries.
The Oman-China Friendship Association was established under the guidance of Dr Omar al Zawawi , Adviser to His Majesty for External Communication in October 2010, chaired by late Mohsin Haider Darwish with private and government representation with the aim of further enhancing the economic, scientific, academic, social, cultural and technical relations and to complement and support the various initiatives of governmental institutions.
“Omani-Chinese relations date back to the depths of history. Chinese historical sources refer to the name of Wong Man in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and the arrival of Chinese ships to Omani ports such as Qalhat and Sohar. Chinese sources also pointed to the arrival of Omani ships to the southern Chinese ports carrying goods from Oman, the Gulf region and East Africa”, said Dr Mohamed al Muqadam, Board member of Oman Historical Association.
In 2013, China and Oman celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries. During the reign of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and the Chinese leadership, these relations witnessed great development in the economic, trade and cultural fields. These relations are based on historical relations for centuries, according to Mohammed.
Today, Omani-Chinese relations have developed over the past four and half decades at various official, popular, economic, commercial and cultural levels.
China is the largest importer of Omani oil and Oman is the fourth Arab trade partner with China. And the evidence that the volume of exchange amounted to more than 20 billion in 2018.
There are models of cooperation between the two countries. Such as the construction of China’s industrial city in Duqm with investments estimated at $ 10.7 billion. More than 35 projects to be implemented in the city range from light, medium and heavy industries.
He added that during these four decades, the friendship between the two countries has been strengthened in various fields, including energy, economy, trade, culture and others, which promote development well-being of the people between the two countries. In May 2018, Oman and China signed a joint statement on a strategic partnership between the two countries in Beijing. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries. The statement welcomed the Sultanate’s support for the “Belt and Road” initiative since the Chinese president put it in 2013 and that Oman is a major partner in this project, while providing facilities for economic and commercial projects in Oman. The two sides will carry out cultural exchanges and provide opportunities for Omani students to study in China and support the Chinese language in Oman, the statement added. The establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries will further contribute to the development of the distinguished relations between the two.
In February 2010, the ship called “Jewel of Muscat”, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was manually built to start its voyage to Singapore via the ancient sea routes in the Silk Road, the Indian Ocean following the footsteps of the old Omani sailors who marched in these steps.
There have been many areas of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the cultural and scientific fields. Several Memorandums of Understanding have been signed between Sultan Qaboos University and Chinese universities, including the Beijing University and the University of Foreign Studies.
“Oman-China bilateral relations are the result of the wise vision of the political leaderships of the two countries under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the Chinese President. These relations have achieved fruitful achievements and opened promising horizons between the two countries. Finally, Omani-Chinese relations are not old, modern and renewed through historical times”, Mohammed added.
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