From May 29 to 30, 2012, the ninth Senior Officials' Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was held in Hammamet, Tunisia. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun and senior officials of the Arab states' foreign ministries and Secretariat of the League of Arab States attended the meeting. The two sides reviewed the institutional activities carried out by CASCF since the fourth ministerial-level meeting and exchanged views on the preparations for the fifth ministerial-level meeting. They also held consultations on the international and regional issues of common concern and reached broad consensus.

Zhai stressed that the growth of CASCF has significantly promoted and enhanced the overall China-Arab friendship and cooperation. CASCF plays an increasingly prominent role of leading and coordinating the China-Arab relations. China will take the opportunity of the fifth ministerial-level meeting and make joint efforts with the Arab side to strengthen the building of CASCF, make full use of CASCF as the main channel of collective dialogue and cooperation between China and Arab states and raise the China-Arab strategic cooperative relations to a new level.

Participating senior officials of the Arab side spoke highly of the China-Arab strategic cooperative relations and the major achievements made by CASCF, expressed strong desire to further deepen the bilateral practical cooperation and strengthen the construction of CASCF and put forward specific proposals and ideas on the next stage of development of China-Arab relations and CASCF's work.