China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said Wednesday they would accelerate talks on a free trade deal which has been under negotiation for more than a decade. The announcement, in a joint statement, came during a visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. "China and the GCC have decided to accelerate the pace of negotiations, review the progress made and hold the next round of negotiations in the second half of February 2016," the statement said. "China and (the) GCC also commit themselves to work closely to conclude a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement within the year of 2016." China and the six-nation GCC announced in July 2004 the start of free trade talks. Four years ago, then-Chinese premier Wen Jiabao called on both sides to "show political will to sign the agreement as soon as possible." Wednesday's joint statement said negotiations resumed on Sunday, and on Tuesday "substantially concluded in principle." Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Riyadh on Tuesday GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani. Xi said China is willing to carry out comprehensive energy cooperation with the GCC countries and be a long-term, stable and reliable energy market for the six-member bloc. The Chinese president suggested the two sides also deepen cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunications, power generation, investment, aerospace, and nuclear and renewable energy. China welcomes the resumption of and substantial progress in the China-GCC free trade talks and hopes that the free trade area will be up and running as early as possible, he said. Zayani, for his part, said that all GCC members support forging closer ties with China. They all agree that the free trade talks should be advanced, he said, adding that they are happy to see the virtual conclusion of the negotiations on trade in goods. The GCC, he said, expects more cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, a vision Xi put forward in 2013 to boost interconnectitity and common development along the ancient land and maritime Silk Roads. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Trade between the Gulf and China, the world's second-largest economy, has been growing. Two-way trade between China and Saudi Arabia alone reached $69.1 billion in 2014, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.
