Riyadh (Al Ittihad)
Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed that his country has solid relations with Saudi Arabia that contribute to promoting peace, stability, prosperity and development in the region, expressing his happiness to visit Saudi Arabia again after 6 years, and to attend the first Chinese-Arab summit, and the first summit of China and the Gulf states, in response to the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the King. Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
In a speech upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, he said: “It gives me great pleasure on this occasion to extend, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, my sincere greetings and best wishes to the friendly Saudi government and people.”
He continued, “China and Saudi Arabia have a close relationship of friendship, partnership and brotherhood, over the past 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.”
And he added, “The two sides continued to exchange understanding and support, and strategic mutual trust between them is continuously established.”
He pointed out that the practical cooperation between them has achieved fruitful results in all fields, and the two sides have maintained close communication and coordination in international and regional affairs.
He explained, “After the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership relations between the two countries in 2016, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and I are leading bilateral relations to achieve great development, which has benefited the two peoples and contributed strongly to promoting peace, stability, prosperity and development in the region.”
Upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport on an official three-day visit, the Chinese president was received by Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Governor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Governor of the Public Investment Fund Yasser Al-Rumayyan, and Saudi Ambassador to China Abdul Rahman bin Ahmed Al-Harbi. and Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom Chen Weiqing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ting said yesterday that the state visit of the Chinese president to Saudi Arabia will allow the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Saudi Arabia to be elevated to a new level.
And the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman considered that the inaugural “Chinese-Arab Summit” is a “milestone in the history of Chinese-Arab relations,” noting that the Chinese-Gulf summit is of far-reaching importance to relations between China and the GCC countries.
The Chinese government’s special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, said earlier: The Arab-Chinese summit, which will be held in Riyadh, will be a historic milestone in the record of relations. The Chinese envoy considered that the three summits scheduled in Riyadh will develop relations between China and the Arab countries in all political, economic and technological fields.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA, on the sidelines of the Saudi-Chinese summit, more than 20 preliminary agreements worth more than 110 billion riyals ($29.3 billion) will be signed, in addition to the signing of the strategic partnership document between Riyadh and Beijing, and the harmonization plan between the Kingdom’s 2030 vision. and the Belt and Road Initiative. The agency added that the Chinese president’s visit program will include holding the “Riyadh-Gulf-Chinese Summit for Cooperation and Development” and the “Riyadh-Chinese Arab Summit for Cooperation and Development”, in the presence of more than 30 leaders of countries and international organizations, including leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab countries. During the two summits, ways to enhance joint relations in all fields will be discussed, and prospects for economic and development cooperation will be discussed.
In addition, the Saudi Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, announced yesterday the establishment of a regional center for Chinese factories in the Kingdom, as part of the efforts of both Saudi Arabia and China to enhance cooperation in the supply chains of the energy sector, by taking advantage of the Kingdom’s distinguished location between three continents.
And the Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”, quoted Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, in a statement on the occasion of the Saudi-Chinese summit in Riyadh: The relations between the Kingdom and China are witnessing a qualitative shift that reflects the interest of the leaderships of the two countries and their keenness to develop them in various fields.
He referred to areas of cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing, especially in projects to convert crude oil into petrochemicals, renewable energy, clean hydrogen, electrical projects and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
He pointed to cooperation and joint investment in the countries covered by the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative, as well as investment in integrated refining and petrochemical complexes in both countries. He said: The Kingdom has strong relations and close strategic ties with China, covering many fields, the most important of which are the various fields of energy, noting that “China has become the first destination for the Kingdom’s petroleum exports as part of the high volume of trade exchange between the two countries and its continuous annual growth in the last five years.” ».
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