Beijing wins applaud among the Arab youth

China's sense of responsibility and capability has helped it win approval among the more than 200 million Arab youth, a recent poll has shown, while the United States faces declining support in the Muslim world.

The 15th annual Arab Youth Survey conducted by public relations firm ASDA'A BCW this year interviewed 3,600 people aged 18-24 across 53 cities in 18 Arab states from Saudi Arabia, Syria to Egypt and Sudan.

Eighty percent of the respondents see China as a "strong ally" or "somewhat of an ally", making China the second among 11 countries on a list that included Turkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, Pakistan, Russia, Iran and Israel. Turkiye topped the ranking and the US was the seventh.

There is a "move away from historical allies in the region like the US, the UK and Europe", because "young Arabs are a little bit tired of foreign meddling in their country", said Juman Jarallah, an editor from the National News, in a video released by the Dubai-based news agency.

"With China, you don't have the kind of tarnished history as you would have with the US," she said.

The survey showed that in recent years China's popularity among young Arabs has been gradually increasing, an expert said.

"In the post-pandemic era when young Arabs focus their attention on social and economic development and employment, the three Global Initiatives for Development, Security and Civilization proposed by China suit the core demands of the Arab youth," said Liu Chen, associate professor of the School of Arabic Studies, at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

"Through these global initiatives, the Arab youth sees China as a responsible major country."

China is proven to be a reliable partner for development and a promoter of peace in the Middle East. After years of economic cooperation based on common interest, China has grown to be the largest trading partner of the Arab states collectively.

China is this economic and industrial powerhouse, so people in this region are starting to see the potential of a stronger tie with China, and "there is also a warming of diplomatic ties in the region, specifically in the Gulf", said Jarallah.

Peace agreement

In March, China brokered a peace agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, ending years of tensions. The rapprochement triggered a wave of reconciliation in the Middle East. Last month, China hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and reiterated its willingness to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks.

"China is always trying to make everything good with Arab countries, trying to fix things between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, also with Iran. China's role as the promoter of peace makes it popular in the region," said Mohammed Ahmed, 24, from Yemen. He now studies e-commerce at University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

In contrast to China's growing popularity among Arab youth, support for the US has been declining over the years.

"Many young Arabs now feel that the US plays a destabilizing role in their societies. The unilateralism and hegemonic policies of the US have caused a lot of disasters in the Arab world," said Liu.