JEDDAH — The Chinese Consul General Tan Banglin reiterated that the visit of President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to Saudi Arabia is very important in various aspects and reflects the keenness of the two countries’ leaderships to develop the existing friendship and partnership relations to be more stable and stronger and to support the development of the common core interests of the two sides.

The Chinese Consul General said the visit, which will include holding the (Saudi-China) summit under the co-chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Chinese president, and the participation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Salman,

This will be in addition to the convening of the Riyadh (China-GCC Cooperation and Development) and (China-Arab Cooperation and Development) summits, that represents a milestone in the history of Chinese-Arab relations,

It also reflects the development of Chinese-Arab friendship and its entry into a new phase of cooperation and coordination at the highest levels to open wider horizons for the development of strategic partnership relations.

He added that the visit also constitutes an opportunity to take the joint Chinese-Arab relations to advanced stages, especially in such current international circumstances, which underscores the importance and necessity of extensive exchange and coordination on ways to consolidate and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between friendly countries and to make all efforts to ensure the strengthening of global peace and development and safeguarding the interests of the Gulf and Arab states.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, the Chinese diplomat said, “the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are comprehensive strategic partners. The two sides attach great priority to developing joint bilateral relations to cover all fields.

“The two sides are active in supporting each other in exploring means to boost development as per their perspective interests and strongly oppose interference in the internal affairs of other states.”

He added, “Regarding international affairs, our two countries support true pluralism and freedom of trade, work to protect global production and supply chains, and preserve the international system constituting the United Nations, which represents the center of the global order based on international law.

“The two countries also defend the general acceptance of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the rules of international relations, defend international justice and the common interests of developing countries, and oppose hegemony, power politics, and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”

The Chinese Consul General explained that the alignment between the “Belt and Road” initiative and the “Kingdom’s Vision 2030” provided new opportunities to enhance cooperation between the two countries, created an environment for development and contributed significantly to diversifying the national economy of the two countries. — SPA