Swara Bhaskar in the house, and online Marhaba, President Xi
Adnoc inks deals as UAE rolls out red carpet for Chinese leader
abu dhabi — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here today for a three-day state visit, with his wife Mrs Peng Liyuan.
President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were received on arrival in Abu Dhabi by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Just ahead of Xi’s arrival, the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced it had awarded contracts worth $1.6 billion to the China National Petroleum Company, to conduct a massive offshore and onshore seismic survey. The UAE’s state-owned DP World also announced an agreement by the two countries to build a new trade zone in Dubai. The deal between the global port operator and the Zhejiang China Commodities City Group will see a “traders’ market” built at Dubai’s Jebel Ali free zone.
President Xi was accorded an official reception ceremony at the airport where the Chinese national anthem was played and 21 artillery rounds fired to greet the Chinese leader. A group of honour guards lined up in reception to greet the distinguished guest.
The Chinese president shook hands with the Sheikhs, ministers and senior officials who welcomed him to the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed the state guest, expressing their happiness at his visit and hoped that it would help establish a new phase of cooperation and joint action to meet the aspirations of the two countries and their friendly peoples.
The two sides exchanged cordial talks on the historically strong ties between the two countries which have witnessed continuous growth and development over the years.
The leaders also highlighted the important political and economic role played by China regionally and internationally. “The level of understanding, coordination and consultation achieved by China and the UAE has boosted security, peace and development in the region and beyond,” they said. For his part, the Chinese president expressed his delight at visiting the UAE, with whom China has had friendly relations and shares a common vision. President Xi wished the UAE further growth, progress and prosperity.
The UAE celebrated the arrival of the Chinese President in a special ceremony, with 12 F-16s and Mirage aircraft escorting his presidential plane after it entered the country’s airspace. Abu Dhabi’s sky was illuminated with fireworks to celebrate President Xi’s arrival, and flags belonging to both countries marked the state visit.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said President Xi’s visit to the UAE marked a new stage in the strategic partnership that had bound the two countries for decades, thanks to a solid foundation built on shared interest and mutual understanding and respect.
He said: “We are delighted to welcome His Excellency President Xi Jinping to the UAE on this important visit, which we view as a basis for further prosperous cooperation between the two friendly countries. We appreciate the President’s decision to visit the UAE on his first foreign tour after his recent re-election for a new presidential term, which reflects the weight of our strategic partnership and underscores the depth of the ties between the two sides.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid commended the strong economic relations and trade exchanges between the two countries. He said the UAE’s trade with China accounted for about a quarter of the total Chinese-Arab trade volume in 2017 which reached Dh170 billion. The Vice-President noted that more than one million Chinese visited the UAE during the past year alone. He added that economic cooperation had expanded to include many sectors such as oil, renewable energy, infrastructure and advanced technology, with the UAEChina partnerships valued at tens of billions of dirhams.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “We seek to establish cultural, humanitarian and people-to-people relations in addition to our strong economic and political relations.”
He expressed his confidence that President Xi’s historic visit to the UAE would provide strong impetus to relations between the two countries, taking them to even higher levels of coordination and cooperation.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said that the cooperation between the UAE and China is moving to the highest levels. He said efforts are focusing on opening new horizons of coordination and integration, given that the two countries share the common vision that economic and social development is a solid foundation for deepening peace, security, stability, and prosperity as well as eliminating extremism and terrorism. He said that both nations looked forward to long-term development and growth, in keeping with the culture of achievement and joint action that they believe is one of the key drivers for building a promising future for both peoples and countries.
Sheikh Mohamed expressed his appreciation for Xi’s interest in the development of UAE-China relations and his choice of the UAE as the first country to visit since his reelection as president. He said the UAE leadership, headed by the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, shared the same interest in strengthening relations with China and transforming the existing strategic partnership into a comprehensive strategic partnership.
He said the most important feature of the UAE-China relations was that it was not just limited to political and economic issues, but extends to cultural, social and educational aspects that build bridges of understanding and establish people-to-people links. This ensures that UAE-China relations are strong and diverse and continue to grow steadily.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed his confidence that Xi’s visit would help transform the UAE-China relations in every aspect, given that both countries were keen to expand and develop relations at all levels. —