Prince Mohammed’s visit to China, Japan widely praised

RIYADH: Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visits to China and Japan have been praised by a cross section of Saudi society which believes they will be beneficial to the Kingdom and international cooperation.
“The visit to China and Japan is an extension of Saudi Arabia’s remarkable international relations,” said Usamah M. Al-Kurdi, vice chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce-Saudi Arabia.
Al-Kurdi said that being friendly with as many countries as possible will benefit the Kingdom, which can thus explore the possibility of cooperating with these countries in various fields.
“The Kingdom has nothing to lose by being friendly with other countries. Instead, it gains good will,” said Al-Kurdi who used to be a Shoura Council member.
The visit is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, by which Saudi Arabia will gradually move away from dependence on oil as an engine of economic growth, he said.
Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda had said that “Japan stands ready to help Saudi Arabia lessen its dependence on oil.”
“Japan is ready to help with the implementation of the Vision 2030 plan by reducing Saudi dependence on oil,” the Japanese envoy said.
The deputy crown prince is currently in China for the G20 summit. Before that, he was in Tokyo where he held talks with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito.
A defense agreement between Japan and the Kingdom was signed between Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada on Friday.
Before the visit to Japan, the deputy crown prince was in China, a visit that, according to Abdullah Al-Meleihi, Al-Ramez International Group president, paves the way for Chinese businessmen to come to the Kingdom for investment purposes.
“Our group itself was able to sign agreements with Top Trans TTG, one of China’s biggest companies, to finance imports to Saudi Arabia to the tune of $100 million,” said Al-Meleihi, a member of the Saudi-Chinese Council.
Representatives of Al-Ramez and other top Saudi firms were part of the Saudi delegation headed by the deputy crown prince.
Saleh Al-Sultan, economic and financial consultant who was also part of the Saudi delegation, said the visit is “good, to say the least, as far as Saudi Arabia is concerned.”
“During our visit, we discussed the possibility that Chinese products, such as machinery, would be manufactured or assembled in the Kingdom,” said Al-Sultan.
He said that this would result in creating additional job opportunities as well as in the economic growth of the Kingdom.