RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang chaired on Wednesday a meeting of the High-Level Saudi-Chinese Committee, where aspects of joint cooperation between the two nations were reviewed, especially political and security coordination.
Opportunities in the fields of trade, energy, investment, culture, and technology were also discussed as well as regional and international developments.
The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang in the Kingdom on Wednesday.
A welcoming ceremony was held in the premier’s honor and the two leaders held an official session of talks shortly after.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang hold talks on Wednesday. (SPA)
Events such as the Saudi-Chinese Media Entrepreneurs forum, and the Saudi Chinese Media forum have nudged cooperation between the countries even closer.
Initiatives in the field of radio and television, and news exchange were launched, including the joint media business accelerator.
On the cultural front, Prince Mohammed bin Salman award for cultural cooperation between the two countries was launched, in addition to translating over 100 books from Arabic to Chinese and vice versa.
Saudi Arabia was the guest of honor at the Beijing International Book Fair 2024, while China will be the guest for the Riyadh International Book Fair in 2025.
As the Kingdom seeks to attract over five million Chinese tourists, Saudi Arabia was accredited as an official tourism destination for Chinese citizens. Chinese payment processing companies were also listed as accepted payment methods in the Kingdom.
As Chinese-language instruction begins in the country, the Kingdom received 171 Chinese teachers at Saudi schools in August. Around 100 Saudi teachers were sent to learn Chinese at China’s universities.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese PM Li Qiang chair a meeting of the High-Level Saudi-Chinese Committee on Wednesday. (SPA)
While China ranks first among the Kingdom’s business partners since 2014, trade exchange between the two countries reached $97 billion in 2023, where Saudi exports were valued at $54 billion and its imports from China reached $43 billion.
China is one of the biggest investing countries in the Kingdom, where its investments reached $16.8 billion in 2023 compared to $1.5 billion in 2022. Saudi investments in China is at $75 billion.
Saudi Arabia and China are keen on integration between Saudi Vision 2030 and the Belt and Road Initiative, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation in all fields.
The Crown Prince’s visit to Beijing in 2019 contributed to solidifying bilateral relations, where 12 agreements and MoUs were signed during that visit.
Saudi-Chinese relations witnessed a leap after establishing a high-level committee, where the two countries take turns in hosting its works.
The committee focuses on cooperation in the fields of politics, security, trade, investment, energy, culture, and technology.
