SHEIKH MOHAMED BEGINS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CEMENT TIES WITH CHINA
▶ Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi leads delegation to Beijing and is set to meet President Xi Jinping today
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has arrived in China, beginning an official three-day visit to the country.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces was welcomed to Beijing Capital International Airport in an official ceremony yesterday. The welcome included a military presence and a traditional cultural performance.
Today, Sheikh Mohamed will be received by Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People, where he will also meet senior officials.
The two leaders are expected to review ways to further increase co-operation between the two countries across various sectors, and to discuss regional and international issues of common interest.
They are expected to sign at least 10 agreements in the fields of economy, oil and environment.
Next, Sheikh Mohamed is set to attend a joint economic summit that will be attended by more than 500 business people from the UAE and China, reported Dubai TV. He will also visit some universities where he will meet Emirati students.
The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince will round off his visit tomorrow.
Sheikh Mohamed’s fourth visit to China is intended to cement the developing relationship between the UAE and China, and celebrate 35 years of friendship. During his last trip, in 2015, he spent three days attending meetings to promote the development of relations and co-operation between the countries.
Declaring that the visit had been “outstanding” Sheikh Mohamed took time out to visit some of the country’s bestknown landmarks, including the Great Wall. About 200,000 Chinese citizens live in the UAE, mostly in Dubai, and are employed in industries such as construction, oil and retail.
A smaller community, of about 2,000, lives in Abu Dhabi.
Yesterday, the Chinese ambassador the UAE said bilateral trade between the countries had increased by 6.2 per cent to $11.2 billion (Dh41.1bn) in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2018. “China-UAE trade is expected to maintain the momentum of rapid growth throughout 2019 and beyond,” Ni Jian told the state news agency Wam.
Last year, Mr Xi became the first Chinese president to visit the UAE in 29 years when he travelled to the Emirates for a three-day trip.
Also in 2018, Chinese exports to the UAE – and imports from the Emirates to China – accelerated, increasing by 32.8 per cent to $16.26bn.
China’s exports to the UAE also grew 3.2 per cent, to $29.66bn.
As many as 6,000 Chinese companies operate in the UAE, mostly in Dubai, Mr Ni said.
Sheikh Mohamed’s visit is expected to boost trade further, with a number of deals planned that will build on a $3.4bn bilateral investment agreement signed in April.
That arrangement included a $2.4bn investment from China to create a storage and shipping station in Jebel Ali.
Occupying 5.57m square metres, it will export Chinese goods worldwide.
The deal was part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, launched in 2013, in which the country is spending billions of dollars in infrastructure investment in countries along the old Silk Road linking it with Europe.
In the past year, Chinese companies have reportedly invested about $15.6bn in projects with some of the 125 countries that have signed up to the plan. All six GCC members are part of the initiative. Sheikh Mohamed was yesterday accompanied by several senior figures.
They included Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation; Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, chief executive of Adnoc Group and chairman of Masdar, and the ministers of Energy, Economy and Culture.
On Saturday, the state news agency Wam released a video of an Emirati folk group dancing the ayala on the Great Wall of China, in celebration of Sheikh Mohamed’s visit.