On September 12, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun held a working dinner for diplomats from 22 Arab countries and charge d'affaires of the representative office of the League of Arab States (LAS) in China. China's Middle East special envoy Sun Bigan, Chinese Ambassador for the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum Yao Kuangyi and officials in charge of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry attended the dinner.

Zhai briefed the Arab diplomats on China's views and position on the Iranian nuclear and Middle East issues, stressing China and the Arab side share similar positions on these regional issues. He said China hopes to strengthen consultation and coordination with Arab nations to push for peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf regions.

The Arab diplomats spoke highly of China's position on the Iranian nuclear and Middle East issues, saying they were looking forward to China's more positive role in the Middle East region. At the same time, they vowed to strengthen consultation and communication with China on developing Sino-Arab ties.