On November 20, 2025, the 2nd China–Arab Youth Summit was successfully held at Fudan University. The summit was jointly initiated by Fudan University and the Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS). Notable participants included Professor Li Jin, President of Fudan University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Professor Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities (AARU); Professor Chunhua Yan, Vice President of the China Association of Higher Education (CAHE), Chinese Director of the China–Arab Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Professor Ismail Farag, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport; Professor Zhimin Chen, Vice President of Fudan University; Faraj Ajmi, Director-General of the Department of Education and Research at LAS; Xiaojie Gao, Deputy Secretary-General of CAHE and Director of the Academic and Exchange Department; Yijia Jing, Dean of the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP); as well as outstanding youth representatives from China and Arab countries. The summit was hosted by IGPP and the Training Department of LAS, organized by the Fudan–Arab Research Centre for Global Development and Governance, with support from the Fudan Office of Global Partnerships, the Fudan Development Institute, and the Fudan University Youth League Committee.

At the opening ceremony, Secretary-General Salama delivered a speech emphasizing that as the China–Arab comprehensive strategic partnership enters a higher stage of development, youth serve as a vital force and a core link in building a shared China–Arab community of destiny. He encouraged young people to be active participants rather than future observers, to cultivate strong humanistic foundations, contribute to shared development, and play proactive roles in advancing China–Arab cooperation.

A video presentation introduced twenty youth representatives from both sides, representing government agencies, research institutions, enterprises, and international organizations. The representatives briefly introduced themselves and shared their experiences in China–Arab cooperation.

Prior to the summit, Legal Officer Wehdah Mosaed Ali Al-Shaeri from the Arab League and Postdoctoral Fellow Tingzhong Huang of IGPP reviewed the preparatory group discussions. These discussions were organized around four core themes, Global Governance, China–Arab Relations, the Digital Silk Road, and Youth Development, each jointly led by one Chinese and one Arab youth representative to ensure focused and effective exchanges.

During the main session, youth representatives reported on the four thematic areas based on their group discussions. On Global Governance, Waeil Naseer Al Azzawi from the LAS and Ruoyu Li from international organizations advocated a multilateral approach and emphasized the importance of consensus-building among China–Arab youth.

On China–Arab relations, Ola A.M. Aljab from the LAS and Xing Lu, co-founder of Ronglian Cloud Communications, called for closer alignment of national development strategies.

On the Digital Silk Road, Zainulabdeen Mohammed AbdulK from the LAS and Huidi Zhao from Huawei highlighted the importance of developing cross-border data centers and strengthening technical collaboration to enhance infrastructure connectivity.

On Youth Development, Marah Basil Jamil Jamil Masarweh from AARU and Associate Professor Haoqi Qian of IGPP emphasized the need to cultivate interdisciplinary talent that integrates public policy expertise with digital technology capabilities.

This was followed by a ceremonial exchange of cultural gifts between the two delegations. The Arab representatives presented items symbolizing the richness of ancient Arab civilizations, including an Iraqi Lamassu sculpture, a Yemeni jambiya dagger, architectural models, the Silver Lyre of Ur, and a gold-inscribed plaque map of Iraq. In return, the Chinese representatives offered gifts highlighting China’s cultural heritage, such as handcrafted solid wood fountain pens, brass plaques, Yunnan Bonan tea cakes, and Longquan celadon pen holders.

Ahmed Abdulaziz Mohamed Aqad from the LAS and Associate Professor Jing Liao from the College of Foreign Languages and Literature jointly read the Joint Declaration of the China–Arab Youth Summit. The declaration set forth four key initiatives: advancing global governance through strengthened multilateral cooperation, deepening intergenerational friendship through sustained cultural exchange, building a Digital Silk Road through enhanced technological collaboration, and empowering youth development by creating inclusive and supportive platforms.

In the closing session, Walid Salameh, Senior Advisor to AARU, remarked that the summit served as an important bridge for youth exchange, providing practical, micro-level entry points for advancing China–Arab cooperation and contributing to the broader strategic partnership. Dean Jing noted that the second summit built upon the foundation of the first, further strengthening youth consensus, broadening cooperation across multiple fields, and fostering closer and more sustained channels for youth engagement.

Prior to the summit, youth representatives participated in the Academic Training Program for officials of the LAS and AARU, as well as several thematic group discussions, laying a solid foundation for in-depth dialogue. They actively shared experiences, exchanged views, and engaged in constructive debate, ultimately reaching preliminary consensus on a number of key issues.

Additionally, Arab youth participated in field visits in Shanghai, including the China Art Palace, where they learned about AI and smart city construction, gaining insight into China’s approach to modernization. The China–Arab Youth Summit will continue to provide platforms for youth engagement, channeling youth perspectives into concrete China–Arab cooperation and contributing Fudan University’s expertise and energy to building a shared community of destiny.