RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the upcoming Riyadh summits reaffirm the determination of Saudi Arabia, China, and other sisterly countries in the Gulf and Arab region towards strengthening joint action and developing distinguished strategic ties among them so as to achieve more growth and prosperity for these states and their peoples. He said this in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on the eve of the official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia and Riyadh's hosting of three summits on Thursday and Friday. The summits include the Saudi-Chinese summit; Riyadh-Gulf-Chinese Summit for Cooperation and Development, and the Riyadh-Chinese Arab Summit for Cooperation and Development. Around 30 leaders of Arab states and international organizations will attend the summit along with Saudi leaders and the Chinese president. The minister said that the Kingdom looks forward to working with China and the Gulf and Arab countries to intensify cooperation in the political, economic, social, and development fields, in order to achieve the aspirations of our countries and peoples for enhanced security and stability. Prince Faisal said that the relations between the Kingdom and China are strategic and intimate in light of the developments and changes taking place in the international arena. "The relations between the two countries are characterized by friendship, mutual trust, cooperation, and continuous coordination." He highlighted the contribution of the high-ranking Saudi-Chinese Joint Committee in further bolstering relations between the two countries in many fields. The minister stated that the economic relations between Saudi Arabia and China are progressing at a rapid pace in light of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and China's Belt and Road Initiative, which offer promising opportunities for cooperation, mutual benefit, and sustainable development. "China ranks first both as a trading partner for the Kingdom and as a destination for Saudi exports and imports since 2018. The volume of intra-trade amounted to SR309 billion in the year 2021, an increase of 39 percent compared to the year 2020," he added.
