UAE commends China's Belt and Road initiative

WAM -- Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State met Zhang Yesui, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, in Beijing on Saturday.

The meeting took place during Dr. Al Jaber ’s official visit to China to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing. The ministers discussed the growing cooperation in trade and investment between the UAE and China, particularly in the fields of energy and infrastructure.

Bilateral trade now exceeds US$50 billion per annum, making China the UAE’s second largest trading partner.

Dr. Al Jaber highlighted the substantial progress that has been made in UAE-China relations, noting the UAE’s keen interest in deepening cultural, and economic ties.

He commended China’s Belt and Road initiative to transform the economies of the old Silk Road, strengthen links between them and better connect them to the rest of the world. In turn, Vice Minister Zhang Yesui welcomed the UAE delegation’s visit to China and said his country was looking forward to enhancing its relations with the UAE.

The UAE is among 110 countries participating in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, hosted by the Chinese Government. The Forum is the first major international conference on One Belt, One Road, OBOR, since President Xi Jinping announced his ground-breaking strategy, in 2013, to transform Asia’s developing economies.

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