President Xi and Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Expanding Bilateral Relations
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, on February 22 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
“China regards Saudi Arabia as a good friend and partner, and is ready to work closely with Saudi Arabia to build on past achievements to open up a new horizon for bilateral friendship and strategic relationship,” said Xi. He noted that with the guidance of high-level leaders from both sides, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has formed a new pattern in recent years, in which the relationship is being advanced at multiple levels and in a wide variety of fields.
China and Saudi Arabia should continue to extend mutual support on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns and promote political mutual trust, he said.
“The two countries should speed up the signing of an implementation plan on connecting the Belt and Road Initiative with the Saudi Vision 2030,” Xi said, also expecting further progress on pragmatic cooperation in areas such as energy, infrastructure, trade, investment, and high value-added industries.
Saudi Arabia and China have a long history of friendly exchanges, enjoy an amicable relationship and rapid development in economic and trade cooperation at present, and there is no divergence between the two sides, Mohammed said.
“We see China as an important strategic partner and appreciate China’s support for the domestic reforms and development of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Noting that the Arabian Peninsula is a part of the ancient Silk Road, Mohammed said Saudi Arabia supports the Belt and Road Initiative and hopes to align it with the Saudi Vision 2030 to deepen bilateral practical cooperation in various fields.
“Saudi Arabia firmly adheres to the one-China policy. We respect and support China’s rights to take counter-terrorism and de-extremism measures to safeguard national security. We stand ready to strengthen cooperation with China,” he said.