On June 6, 2014, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil of Lebanon in Beijing. Both sides spoke highly of the achievements of the sixth ministerial meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), and agreed that consensuses of the meeting are of important significance both for bilateral relations between China and the Arab countries and for China-Arab collective cooperation. Both sides exchanged views on the situation in Lebanon, China-Lebanon relations and the Syrian issue.

Bassil introduced the internal situations in Lebanon, and expressed that Lebanon is faced with terrorism, the Syrian crisis, especially Syrian refugees, Lebanon-Israel conflicts, Palestine-Israel conflicts and other issues. Lebanon hopes that the above-mentioned political issues can be properly solved as early as possible so that Lebanon can devote itself to economic and social construction in a relieved mind, and hoes that China can play a positive role to this end. He himself knows and believes in China’s products and competitiveness, and hopes that Lebanon and China can achieve closer economic and trade contacts and strengthen cooperation in human resources and other fields.

Wang Yi expounded the standpoint of the Chinese side on the peace negotiations on the Syrian issue and the Middle East, and expressed that the Chinese side shows deep sympathy and understanding towards the problems and situations facing Lebanon. Terrorism is the common enemy of human beings. China supports the anti-terrorist efforts of Lebanon and stands ready to intensify bilateral cooperation in this field. In the aspect of Lebanon’s sheltering Syrian refugees, the Chinese side has decided to offer new humanitarian aid, and hopes the international community will take more measures, so as to help neighboring countries of Syria relieve the pressure brought about by the issue of refugees.

Wang Yi said, although China is situated in the east end of Asia and Lebanon in the west end, the long history of friendly exchanges between the two countries has been recorded on the ancient Silk Road. Both sides should always support each other’s core concerns and interests, and take the joint building of “One Belt One Road” among China and the Arab countries as the opportunity to deepen cooperation in such fields as economic and trade investment, transportation and communications, energy resources and water conservancy, and human resource development, so as to constantly consolidate and develop China-Lebanon friendly relations as well as practical and mutually beneficial cooperation.