The permanent delegates to the Arab League (AL) on Tuesday held a preparatory meeting in Cairo to coordinate stances with regard to the seventh ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF).

The conference is scheduled to be hosted by Doha on May 11 and 12.

Tuesday's meeting dealt with the CASCF's documents and issues listed on the session's agenda.

The forum was formally established during former Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo in January 2004. Hu noted at the time that the formation of the forum was a continuation of the traditional friendship between China and the Arab world and an important move to promote bilateral ties under new circumstances.

2016 marks the 60th year of Sino-Arab relations and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Egyptian bi-lateral relations where Egypt was the first Arab and first African country to establish diplomatic relations with China.

Source: MENA