China and nations of the League of Arab States on Saturday jointly launched a three-week Arabic arts festival in China to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and boost their cooperative ties.

The festival, running until July 15, comprises performances by Arabic arts troupes, art exhibitions and an Arabic food show. One of its goals is to let ordinary Chinese people become familiar with the Arab culture.

The festival follows the convening of a high-level China-Arab forum last month in Beijing, which stressed new partnership between China and Arab countries and announced the hosting of the first oil meeting by China and Arab states.

The Chinese government pays great attention to the festival. Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the opening on Saturday evening at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Li met with representatives from the League of Arab States and cultural ministers of 17 Arab countries.

Li highlighted cultural exchanges, saying they were important channels to promote mutual understanding, trust and friendship among different nations and help maintain world peace and boost common development.

He said the Chinese and Arab peoples both had long and rich histories, and cultural exchanges were on the rise, deepening their friendship.

He hoped they would continue to enhance cultural exchanges and cooperation so as to "raise the traditional China-Arab friendly relations to a new level".

Nearly 300 artists from Arab countries and China performed Arabic music, dancing, acrobatics and ballet at the opening ceremony.

At a forum on Saturday, some Arab officials said that they hoped to see more Chinese TV programs to be broadcast in Arab countries, while they complained that there are too many American TV dramas characterized with violent and criminal contents exported to their countries.

These American programs have done harm to the next generations of the Arab people, they said.

Besides Beijing, the art festival will also be staged in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2006)