$2b for Oman, more to come: Chinese envoy

HM’s policies have been responsible for good ties between Oman and China, says the envoy

MUSCAT: Oman and China are strategic partners in developing both countries, according to China’s ambassador to Oman.

China and Oman trade annually is touching OMR8 billion, ambassador Yu Fulong revealed to Times of Oman, adding that the Chinese government had already pledged an extra OMR5b to Oman’s ambitious Duqm project

“China has, I think, already invested about two billion dollars in Oman, and we have much more planned for the future as well,” said Yu Fulong.

“Oman’s policies under His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said have been much respected, and that is why China has very good relations with Oman. In fact, every nation in the world would want to be friends with Oman.”

Oman and China have much in common, he said and that is what gives both nations the foundations for a long and successful partnership in future, according to the Chinese Ambassador.

Yu Fulong was speaking to the media for the first time, and was quick to single out Oman for praise. Some $2 billion has already been ploughed into projects in Oman by China, and more is to come in the future, with the Chinese government having pledged a whopping $750 billion in external investment across the world.

“What we have in common is we both need to develop our countries to a higher stature of development,” he said. “Both countries have had a similar historical past, and we now see a common need for aspirations for a better life.

China’s plans for economic expansion have seen the nation embark on its ambitious One Belt One Road policy, a trade route across land and sea that links more than 100 nations, and involves heavy investment in the manufacturing, transport, logistics and research sectors, alongside many others.

“While the social systems in Oman and China are different, we see eye-to-eye on many common issues such as development, promoting peace, regional coordination and cooperation, and we have a common approach to them,” he added. “When General Secretary Xi Jinping initiated the idea of the One Belt, One Road policy, Oman positively responded to it. Oman is an integral part of this.

“Oman was also one of the founding members of the Asian Development Bank and has greatly benefited from this, in addition to providing coordination on the consensus to develop policies of the economies and societies of developing countries,” he revealed.