Cairo, December 8, 2022, SPA -- Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed that holding the Riyadh Arab-China Summit for Cooperation and Development adds big momentum to the relations and reflects the political will of the Arab and Chinese sides, expressing hope for such summits to be held periodically to preserve momentum of these ties. In remarks to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Aboul Gheit said that the visit of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon a generous invitation from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and holding the summit is a historic event that reflects the weight of the Arab region in the international economic system, and represents a joint awareness of the requirements of the current phase that witnesses successive global crises with long-term consequences, which requires further communications and joint action to create effective initiatives to deal with the crises and alleviate their ramifications on peoples. He added that the establishment of the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum contributed to making a real breakthrough in the Arab-Chinese cooperation, where the two sides now have more than 20 cooperation mechanisms in various political, economic, cultural, media and development fields. The secretary general noted that economic relations between the two sides were steadily increasing, adding that the volume of trade exchange between China and Arab countries has risen from about $36 billion at the time of the forum's establishment to about $330 billion in 2021. He also reviewed cooperation aspects between the Arab side and China during the COVID-19 pandemic and their efforts in facing this pandemic, saying: "All of us know that crises test the true friendship among peoples and countries. During the pandemic, I think China and the Arab states have succeeded, especially that we have witnessed a clear exchange of support between the two sides in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. --SPA 14:11 LOCAL TIME 11:11 GMT 0016 www.spa.gov.sa/2407690