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At China-Arab States Summit, Xi Jinping Pledges More Gaza Aid, Economic Cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promised more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.
"Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated drastically, throwing people into tremendous suffering," Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. "War should not continue indefinitely."
He called for an international peace conference for resolving the Israel-Hamas war and pledged $69 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza. He also promised to donate $3 million to a United Nations agency that provides assistance and relief to refugees of the Israel-Hamas war.
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Beijing and the Arab states support Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing international condemnation after its strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in which at least 45 people were killed over the weekend. The overall Palestinian death toll in the war exceeds 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Beijing has long backed Palestinians and denounced Israel over its settlements in the occupied territories. It has not criticized the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 — which killed about 1,200 Israelis — while the United States and others have called it an act of terrorism. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who spoke at the opening ceremony, praised China for supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Tingshu Wang/Pool Photo via AP)
"I call on all active actors of the international community to assume their moral and legal responsibilities to stop the outrageous Israeli war," el-Sissi said. "I further urge the international community to take immediate and decisive action to enforce the instantaneous and unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli siege and counter any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinians from their lands," el-Sissi said.
Besides addressing the war, the Chinese leader also called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care.
The summit attended by heads of state from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia among others was set to focus on China's expanding trade ties and on security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.
"China's priorities in the region are primarily economic," said Maria Papageorgiou, a lecturer in politics and international relations at University of Exeter. "It wants to continue the momentum established in recent years with Gulf states and expand its investments, particularly in trade, technology (5G networks), and other cyber initiatives."
Additionally, China wants to present itself as an alternative to the West and a more credible partner to the region, one that doesn't interfere in the nations' domestic affairs nor exert pressure, Papageorgiou said.
Xi and el-Sissi had a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, during which they signed a series of cooperation agreements in areas such as infrastructure, technology and food imports meant to strengthen their ties.
China has invested billions of dollars in Egyptian state projects, including a Suez Canal economic zone and a new administrative capital east of Cairo. Investments between Egypt and China amounted to around $14 billion in 2023, compared to $16.6 billion in 2022, according to Egypt's statistics agency.
Also at the forum are Tunisia's President Kais Saied, Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain King Hamad.
The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was established in 2004 as a formal dialogue mechanism between China and Arab states.
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China is Tunisia's fourth-largest trading partner after Germany, Italy and France. Beijing has financed hospitals and sports complexes in Tunisia, and its companies have been contracted to build strategic infrastructure such as bridges and deep-water Mediterranean ports.
The UAE also has expansive, growing economic relations with China and has faced U.S. Criticism for an alleged Chinese military facility being built in Abu Dhabi.
Besides China's expansive trade ties in the Middle East, it has increasingly sought to play a diplomatic role in the region. In 2023, Beijing helped broker an agreement that saw Saudi Arabia and Iran reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of tension in a role previously reserved for longtime global heavyweights like the U.S. And Russia.
China's 3D Printing Sector Is One Of The World's Fastest Growing
In researching China's additive manufacturing (AM) sector, it can be tough to validate claims from the outside. For instance, in 2023, one of the nation's leading makers of metal 3D printers, Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) announced nearly 60 percent revenue growth from the prior year. This figure, combined with the increasing number of lasers that can be configured on Chinese metal 3D printers, should more than pique the interest of manufacturers globally.
In fact, evidence coming out of the Chinese AM industry suggests that country is catching up to and, in many ways, surpassing the U.S. And Europe in terms of 3D printing adoption and manufacturing. From 2015 to 2022, China's AM sector grew at a rate of about 30 percent, with industry analyst AM Research projecting that the country will achieve $8 billion in revenues from 3D printer sales alone by 2032.
This has significance both inside and outside of China, as well as inside and outside of the 3D printing industry. Naturally, much of the growth that's taking place is remaining within the nation's borders. While AM professionals are now well aware of a handful of prominent Chinese players, there are many more that they have never heard of and, despite this fact, some of those lesser-known businesses are advancing at a pace similar to their more recognized competitors.
BLT's large format metal 3D printing facility.
Image courtesy of Xi'an Bright Laser Technologies.For example, brands such as BLT, Farsoon, and Eplus3D have all released metal 3D printers with many lasers, numbering up to 64 in the case of Eplus3D. However, these three firms aren't the only many-laser printer manufacturers in China. Tianjin LiM Laser Technology Co., which operates primarily within the nation's borders, recently unveiled a metal 3D printer with up to 20 lasers.
This compares to firms like Nikon SLM Solutions, which max out at 12. This isn't a sheer marketing gimmick. The more lasers on a metal 3D printer, the more productive it can be and, perhaps more importantly, the more sophisticated is the hardware and software that coordinates all of those energy sources. In one instance, a major smartphone manufacturer is using metal 3D printing to produce millions of small components annually.
For this reason, these metal 3D printers can be used as a gauge for the overall progress of the sector as a whole. Not only are they more complex, but also more expensive. As the high-water mark for AM, we can expect that the rest of China's 3D printing sector to grow at a similar level. Other, simpler technologies are as far along as the most advanced versions in other parts of the world, such as in Europe and North America. A competitor to HP's HP Multi Jet Fusion, one of the most successful polymer printing technologies in AM, has emerged in China. Sand 3D printing is at the same level of automation in China as it is in Germany, where BMW has developed a fully automated production line for printing and casting aluminum engine cylinders.
Much of this activity will benefit China in its ability to deploy advanced manufacturing for domestic use, particularly as frenemy nations, like the United States, employ tariffs and other measures to control imports from the country. However, even when China isn't able to sell electric vehicles directly to Western countries, it will be able to sell some of its manufacturing equipment abroad.
Companies like the three metal printer manufacturers previously mentioned have opened foreign offices in Germany and the U.S. In order to better service customers in the region. Their increased presence at foreign trade shows has stimulated increased interest from foreign clientele. And because their machines are significantly less expensive than those made in the West, they can be much more cost competitive without a trade off in quality in most cases.
What this means for U.S. And European manufacturers of 3D printers is that they will increasingly face stiff competition from China. However, they may not lose the market entirely. One of the major reasons for the rapid growth of Chinese 3D printing is the immense government support advanced manufacturing has had in the country. China allows companies to deduct 200% of their research and development (R&D) expenses from taxes, while, in the U.S., the 2017 "Tax Cut" bill cut the deductible portion of R&D expenses for U.S. Companies from 100% to just 10%, significantly discouraging investment in R&D.
However, through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. Is now pouring billions of dollars into new projects that support advanced manufacturing domestically. Other countries, such as Canada and the U.K., are following suit, suggesting that competition with China will be a close one that may ultimately benefit domestic, distributed, and renewable manufacturing in all advanced economies. So, as tight as the race may be for individual 3D printing companies in- and outside of China, the larger nations and their populations may be the ones who actually win out in the end.
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