n Mar. 9, the opening ceremony of the 6^th Workshop for Officials from Arab States was held by Center for China and Arab States Reform and Development Studies (the Center) at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). This workshop consists of 30 diplomats from Yemen.

Li Yansong, president of SISU and chair and director of the Center, Ausan Abdullah Ahmed AL-Aud, vice director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yemen and Li Chengwen, Ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Affairs, addressed the ceremony. The opening ceremony was hosted by Wang Guangda, secretary-general of the Center’s Council and executive director of the Center.

President Li Yansong first delivered the welcome speech. He introduced SISU’s history and mission, and pointed out that SISU has special friendship with Yemen. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, teachers in SISU’s Arabic language department went to Sana’a Technical School and Taiz Technical School to work as translators or technical instructors, and made important contributions to the educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Center has successfully held five workshops so far, and the participants include 137 senior officials from Arab States. The workshops have played an important role in promoting China-Arab exchanges and cooperation in the fields of governance and reform. With the joint efforts of China and Arab States, the Center will become an important platform for cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds between the two sides under the “Belt and Road” Initiative, as well as a reservoir of high-end talents in area studies on China and Arab States. As the organizer of the Center, SISU would give full play to its academic advantages to further promote studies on national conditions, history and reform of China and Arab States, and contribute to the China-Arab and China-Yemen communication through educational exchanges and cooperation.

Vice Minister Ausan Abdullah Ahmed AL-Aud expressed his gratitude towards Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Education, the Shanghai Municipal Government and SISU. He pointed out that China-Yemen friendship is based on the historical friendship and the current equal cooperation between the two countries, and China-Yemen relations would not be subject to any unexpected factors. He thanked Chinese government for its firm support for Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as its humanitarian assistance to Yemen. He also expressed his appreciation for China's "Belt and Road" initiative and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which, according to him, will help promote joint consultation and multilateral cooperation of the entire international community.

Ambassader Li Chengwen welcomed the participants, and thanked the Center for its efforts on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stressed that the Yemen issue could only be resolved by political means such as dialogue and negotiation. China is willing to share with Yemen the experience of reform and development, and provide new ideas and directions for the Yemeni people to seek peace and development. He hoped that the participants could gain from the workshop and that they could contribute to the stability and development of Yemen and the deepening of China-Yemen relations.

Yuan Quan, second secretary in the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Zheng, deputy director of Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and representatives of teachers and students in SISU’s Arabic language department attended the opening ceremony.

During the 10-day program, the participants will carry out discussions with Chinese experts and scholars on topics such as China's foreign policy, ethnic and religious policies, experience of reform and opening up, as well as China-Arab cooperation in the construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative and China-Yemen cooperation in production capacity. At the same time, the center has arranged a variety of on-site visits for the participants, in the hope that they can feel the ideas and achievements of China's reform and development.