President Hu starts state visit to Saudi Arabia
23/4/2006 9:37
Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Riyadh on Saturday morning,
beginning his first state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King
Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz.
During his three-day visit here, President Hu will
hold talks with King Abdullah and meet with other Saudi leaders to exchange
views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common
concern. They will also discuss ways to strengthen the friendly cooperation
between China and Saudi Arabia.
In his written statement delivered upon
arrival at the airport in Riyadh, President Hu said Sino-Saudi relations have
progressed steadily since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990, and the
Chinese side is satisfied with the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation in
such fields as politics, economy, trade, and culture.
He said China attaches
great importance to the relationship with Saudi Arabia and will work with the
Saudi side to continuously push forward the development of bilateral friendship
and cooperation.
President Hu added he is convinced that his visit will
further promote the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples, as
well as the development of bilateral friendship and strategic
cooperation.
Saudi Arabia is now China's largest trading partner in West Asia
and North Africa. In 2005, trade volume between the two countries exceeded US$16
billion, an increase of 56 percent as compared with the previous year.
In
January, King Abdullah paid a successful visit to China, during which the two
countries singed a number of cooperation documents.
President Hu flew here
from the US state of Connecticut after a state visit to the United States. Saudi
Arabia is the second leg of his five-nation tour, which will also take him to
Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.
Xinhua News
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