Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Arab countries view China as a reliable international partner to achieve common development goals in all fields, including the media field, said Saudi Acting Minister of Media Majed Al-Qasabi. He also said that Arab countries view the Belt and Road Initiative comprehensively that exceeds the limited economic outlook. They see the initiative as a dialogue between peoples politically, culturally, and socially. Al-Qasabi, who is also the rotatory president of the Arab Ministers of Information Council, made the remarks as he chaired 4th Arab Chinese Cooperation symposium in the field of information organized virtually by the Arab League in coordination with the State Council Information Office of China (SCIO). The Saudi minister said that the ties between Arab countries and China through the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum represents a pioneering and ideal model of cooperation, partnership, and interaction among people in order to promote dialogue and cooperation in various fields. Al-Qasabi pointed out that the forum was established after the visit of former Chinese President Hu Jintao to the headquarters of the Arab League on Jan. 30, 2004. At the outset of the symposium, the Saudi minister welcomed the minister and vice minister of the SCIO), Arab ministers of information, the head of the media sector of the General Secretariat of Arab League States, and media officials in Arab countries and the People's Republic of China. Al-Qasabi said that the coronavirus pandemic had imposed unprecedented challenges that placed our countries and institutions in the face of an unparalleled international crisis, noting in this regard great efforts made by Saudi Arabia during its presidency of G20 2020. He added that the Kingdom chaired an extraordinary virtual summit. The Saudi minister pointed out that the G20 countries have adopted many ways to address the health, economic and social impacts of this pandemic, pledging more than $21 billion to support the immediate funding needs for the development of diagnostic tools, vaccines, and effective therapeutics, injecting over $11 trillion into the global economy to support businesses and protect individuals' livelihoods, providing $14 billion for the debt burden on countries most at risk, and launching the Riyadh Initiative. Al-Qasabi explained that the global media faced an important challenge during the pandemic due to the spread of rumors and misinformation coronavirus and the questioning of scientific facts about it, which threatened to undermine the efforts made to raise awareness of the danger of this disease. He also pointed out that official media institutions have made intensified efforts, in coordination with officials in the health sectors in our countries, to deliver messages about the virus, ways to prevent it, and address rumors and anonymous information that question the reality of the pandemic, its danger, or the safety of precautionary measures taken to limit its spread.