The First China-Jordan Friendship Dialogue -- an online Forum on Centennial Opportunity: Jointly Build Belt and Road & Jordanian 2025 Vision convened in Beijing on December 22, 2021. The event was jointly sponsored by China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and Beijing Foreign Studies University, and jointly organized by Xufang International Media and School of Arabic Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University. The event was supported by SDIC Mining Investment Co., Ltd..

SDIC Chairman Bai Tao attended the event and delivered a speech. SDIC Deputy General Manager Zhong Guodong attended the event and participated in book donation ceremony. More than 20 distinguished guests, including Hussam A. G. AI Husseini, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to China, Chen Chuandong, Chinese Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Du Zhanyuan, Director of China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, Yang Dan, President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Samir Habashneh, Chairman of Jordan-China Non-Governmental Culture Cooperation Committee, Shehadah Abu Hdaib, Chairman of Arab Potash Company, Wu Sike, former Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Affairs, and Bilal AI Hammouri, Director of Promotion Department, Jordanian Ministry of Investment, etc., attended the friendship dialogue either at the venue or via video links.

The year 2021 marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China and also the centenary of Jordan. This event invited Chinese and Jordanian partners to conduct dialogue via video links to analyze international situations, share cooperation experiences, deepen cultural exchanges and enhance mutual trust which has injected new momentum into China-Jordan relationship of mutual benefit, win-win and mutual prosperity.

Before the dialogue, SDIC Chairman Bai Tao met Ambassador Hussam A. G. AI Husseini, Du Zhanyuan and Yang Dan, and briefed them about the development of SDIC. H.E. Ambassador Hussam A. G. AI Husseini highly praised SDIC for its contributions to the economic and trade development and people-to-people exchanges between China and Jordan, and presented a Jordanian emblem commemorative plate to Bai.

In his speech, Bai said that as a large-type and comprehensive investment holding corporation with leading diversified businesses in China, SDIC has developed its international business development pattern consisting of mainly overseas direct investment, international engineering contract and international trade, etc. and has invested/constructed more than 1,600 projects in more than 100 countries and regions throughout the globe. He emphasized that after SDIC Mining Investment acquired 28% of the shares of Arab Potash Company (APC) and became the largest shareholder of the company in 2018, (SDIC Mining Investment) supports APC in promoting innovation, improving management, and tapping its expansion potentials which have promoted the company to steadily increase its business returns and has built APC into a model of China-Jordan cooperation. Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Bai recalled, SDIC and APC have been supporting each other. Despite tight supply, APC donated N95 face masks to SDIC Group at its earliest time. SDIC Group also donated, in two times, medical and pandemic prevention materials worth 3 million yuan RMB to the Jordanian government and the local community and supported APC to donate over US$30 million to the Jordanian government for pandemic prevention and control. SDIC Group is willing to become “a reliable partner” and “a friendly cultural ambassador” for the future development of China and Jordan.

Ambassador Hussam A. G. AI Husseini said that people of the two countries support each other in facing the difficulties brought about the the Covid-19 pandemic. Jordan is located at the junction of the China Belt and Road Initiative, is a model state of peaceful and stable development in the Middle East, and has excellent investment environment and high quality human resources. Chinese enterprises have launched cooperation with their Jordanian counterparts in the fields of conventional energy, renewable energy, garments, electronic products and information technology. Bilateral trade volume has surpassed 20 billion yuan RMB. The Jordannian government will give strong support to enterprises from around the world, especially Chinese enterprises, to cooperate with Jordan. Chinese and Jordanian youth act as an important bridge in promoting the exchanges and interaction between the two civilizations. Higher learning institutions of both countries have a large number of students from each other. It is hoped that Jordan and China join hands to map out the future development path.

Chen Chuandong pointed out that since China and Jordan established diplomatic relations in 1977, relations between the two countries continuously maintain healthy and steady development, exchanges at all levels and in all fields remain active, and practical cooperation bears fruitful results. China has become the third largest trade partner and the second largest import source of Jordan. The two sides should consolidate political mutual trust, enhance strategic communications and continue to give firm support to each other in issues related to each other's core interest; emphasis be given to complement each other's advantages, improve mutual benefit and win-win, and deepen cooperation in the fields of energy, telecommunications, communications, agriculture, green economy, digital economy and intelligent manufacturing, etc.; enhance cultural exchanges, promote people-to-people connectivity, and join hands in boycotting the so-called civilization “superiority” and social system “phobia”; and expand cooperation platform, build China-Jordan community with a shared future, and be defenders of peace and stability in the Middle East, defenders of fairness and justice, promoters of common development and good friends of mutual learning.

Du Zhanyuan pointed out that under the complex situation of unprecedented global changes unseen in a century and a once-in-a-century pandemic, it is the common wish of all countries including China and Jordan to seek cooperation and development. The two countries should focus on people's life and development and promotion of win-win cooperation, look forward to future friendship, promote youth exchanges, broaden dialogue channels and enhance mutual learning about each other's civilization. As a comprehensive international communication organization that is dedicated to promoting Sino-foreign cultural exchanges and mutual learning, China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration is willing to join hands with representatives of economy and trade, culture, and education from China and Jordan to make joint efforts in promoting cultural exchanges, mutual learning from each other's civilization and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries and making unremitting efforts to deepen the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Yang Dan said that this friendship dialogue was of important meaning for China and Jordan for their journey of second centenary. The dialogue covered multi areas and reflected the process from strategic plan to common recognition, from blueprint to actual projects in mutual learning and mutual communication, mutual consultancy, mutual construction and mutual sharing between China and Jordan since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. In the new era, Beijing Foreign Studies University will also take on its important mission of “better introduce China to the world and help the world understand China better”, and help promote the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2025 Vision to make constant progress.

Samir Habashneh highly praised China for its achievements in the fields of development, improvement of people's life and poverty elimination. He pointed out that Jordan's continuous development could not be achieved without the long term support from friendly countries like China and the development of Jordan also benefits its friendly neighbors. It is hoped that education cooperation between the two countries be further improved to promote the interaction and exchanges of students and teachers of the two countries, especially in the fields of teaching method, textbook compilation and R&D, etc..

Shehadah Abu Hdaib pointed out that China and Jordan have forged partnership in jointly dealing with the issues of mankind such as food security. The large volume of trade between Jordan and China, especially in the sector of chemical fertilizer, proves that cooperation between the two countries is an outstanding model of economic relations. Based on this, APC is dedicated to renewable energy and global food security and sustainability.

Wu Sike believed that the China-Jordan relations is a model for countries with different systems and different cultures. Both sides uphold the concept of respect for diversified civilizations, take the old Silk Road as a link to enhance civilization exchanges and mutual learning and, on the basis of traditional cooperation, expand cooperation to the sectors of aerospace technology, digital economy and new energy construction, etc.. He encouraged young students of the two countries to devote themselves to China-Jordan friendship, and realize their ideals in the process of common development of the two countries. He also expressed his hope that the dialogue make new contribution to opening a new chapter of cooperation between China and Jordan.

Bilal AI Hammouri said that the two countries enjoy a comparatively high level cooperation in the sectors of economy and investment. The Jordanian government is devoted to multi measures in the areas of legislation, supervision and system innovation to create an attractive and competitive investment environment for foreign investors. At the dialogue, he extended his invitation to Chinese business people to launch more cooperation projects with their Jordanian counterparts.

At the event, Zhong Guodong and Liu Dawei, Deputy Director of China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, presented Arabic book “Common Dream” to representatives of Chinese and Jordanian youth. Hussam A. G. AI Husseini and Yang Dan presented the Chinese and Jordanian youth the book “Jordanian Culture and Education Study”.

At the dialogue event, two round table meetings were also held. At the round table meeting themed: Practical and Win-win Cooperation: Case Study of China and Jordan Cooperation, Chinese and foreign guests conducted in-depth discussions and shared their experiences on project cooperation and corporate social responsibility. Deng Hua, Chairman of SDIC Mining Investment, introduced, from the four aspects of “mutual respect, operation compliance, complementing each other's advantages and enhancing friendship”, about the joint efforts by SDIC Mining Investment and APC in over three years' time to overcome the difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and market fluctuations and promote APC to a higher level in business operation returns.

At the round table meeting themed: New Vision New Opportunity: Opportunity and Future of China-Jordan Cooperation, Chinese foreign guests carried out in-depth discussions on how to build China-Jordan relations and promote China-Jordan economic and trade cooperation in the new international environment and how to better break through the traditional paradigm and promote China-Jordan strategic cooperation.

Nearly 100 Chinese and Jordanian guests from China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and Beijing Foreign Studies University as well as Chinese and Jordanian youth representatives were present at the event venue. Present at the event were also SDIC Spokesman Liu Yanghe, Deputy Director Kong Deliang, SDIC Mining Investment General Manager Zhou Weiliang, Li Huanjun, an executive of SDIC Mining Investment, and related personnel from SDIC Group Office and SDIC Mining Investment.