‘UAE, China aspire to range of shared goals’
Significant scope to work in partnership to foster regional trade and boost renewable energy technologies — Abdullah
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, has said that the UAE, as a vital political, economic, and cultural hub between East and West, and the gateway to the Middle East, considers its relations with the People’s Republic of China to be crucial in bringing stability and development in the region and beyond.
Shaikh Abdullah added there is significant scope to work in partnership with China to foster regional trade, develop renewable energy technologies in a post-oil future, engage closely in space cooperation, and develop new forms of communication and information exchange.
The UAE Forign Minister’s remarks came on the occasion of the official visit by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to China. The statement was issued to the Chinese media including China Daily, People’s Daily and the Xinhua News Agency.
Dynamic new epoch
“Over the next decade, we believe that the UAE-China relationship will reach a dynamic new epoch,” Shaikh Abdullah said in his statement. He added that as the world continues to seek answers to ever more complex questions, it is clear that the UAE and China aspire to a range of shared goals.
“Just as our forebears cooperated in challenging environments along the ancient caravan routes of the Silk Road and the stormy seas of the Indian Ocean, so too will we use the opportunity of the present to display leadership and forge new pathways of prosperity and stability,” he said.
Shaikh Abdullah said the UAE and China, as partners, will leverage ‘our own societies’ diversity to encourage tolerance and stability, and use our unique geographical locations and development models to ensure truly inclusive economic growth throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Shared success
“It is in this context of shared success and common goals that the visit to China by Shaikh Mohammad takes place.”
He said the UAE wishes to use the opportunity of this visit to push the very boundaries of possibility in its relationship with China. “We want to ensure that our bilateral ties continue to move in a strategic direction and are underpinned by the three critical pillars of economics, politics, and culture.
“This is why over the coming days, the UAE wants to further develop, in cooperation with China, our economic ties not only in the bilateral context, but also through far-reaching regional initiatives such as the ‘One Belt, One Road’ Strategy, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which we believe will reshape the very fabric of our wider region’s economic future.
“This visit will also provide an unprecedented opportunity to engage in robust and constructive political exchange. From countering extremism to overcoming regional political instability, we hope to develop shared strategic and diplomatic approaches to issues which require fresh thinking, open ideas, and revived global leadership.”
Shaikh Abdullah said that UAE and China are at an undeniably important crossroad in bilateral relations.