—- Scheduled to attend vital GCC Summit, meet Saudi Monarch, MBS
RIYADH: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia from December 7 to 10 at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
Xi delivered a written speech extending sincere greetings and good wishes to the government and people of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Chinese government and people.
He said China and Saudi Arabia have stepped up strategic mutual trust and produced fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation since establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Xi said he will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern during his visit with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The president said he is looking forward to attending the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit, working with the leaders of the Arab countries and GCC countries and taking China-Arab and China-GCC relations to a new level.
In a report released earlier this week, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the summit as a milestone event. Leaders of both sides will take the opportunity to plan future cooperation while pushing for the upgrade of bilateral relations and consolidating consensus on global governance, development, security and other critical issues.
Titled “China-Arab Cooperation in the New Era,” the report emphasized fast-growing bilateral trade ties and people-to-people exchanges as well as mutual support and shared commitment to core issues.
China remains the biggest trading partner of Arab countries. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume was roughly $330 billion, a year-on-year increase of 37 percent.
China is willing to jointly promote high-quality cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Arab States, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a congratulatory letter to the fifth China-Arab States Expo last year.
Noting that the traditional friendship between the peoples of China and Arab states has become stronger over time, Xi said that China and Arab states have continued to strengthen strategic coordination and synergy of actions in recent years and the joint construction of the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results. – The Daily Mail-CGTN News Exchange Item.
