YINCHUAN — Energy cooperation plays a vital role in China-Arab strategic partnership as both sides face the issue of ensuring energy security and realizing energy transition amid the global background of carbon neutrality, Zhang Jianhua, head of China's National Energy Administration, said on Aug 19.

Zhang made the remarks at a forum held on the sidelines of the ongoing fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened on Aug 19 in Yinchuan, the capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

China and the Arab states should deepen cooperation in traditional energy to achieve win-win results and mutual benefits, and join hands to push forward the transition to clean, low-carbon energy including solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power, Zhang noted.

He added that China welcomes the Arab states to join the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, an energy cooperation platform inaugurated in 2019 under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, to facilitate collaboration in the area.

Arab states are the most important source of crude oil imports for China, and a number of China-invested enterprises have engaged in energy projects in Arab countries including Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, Zhang said.