Saudi Crown Prince, Chinese President hold official talks in Riyadh

Riyadh, The Gulf Observer: Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and China’s President Xi Jinping held official talks in Riyadh, during which they reviewed aspects of the Saudi-Chinese partnership.

The meeting discussed coordination efforts to enhance cooperation between the two countries in various fields in line with their visions.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Xi also discussed the opportunities to invest in available opportunities in both countries, in addition to reviewing the regional and international issues in common interest and the efforts made in this regard.

The meeting, attended by several senior officials from the Saudi and Chinese sides, was held at Al-Yamamah Palace on Thursday.

The Crown Prince received the Chinese President in Riyadh during his official visit to Saudi Arabia. An official ceremony was held to welcome President Xi upon his arrival at the palace.

Following the meeting, the Crown Prince and Chinese President witnessed the ceremony exchanging several agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries, notably the harmonization plan between Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.

Among others, the agreements included an MoU in the hydrogen energy field and another on judicial assistance in civil, commercial and personal status matters. They also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to teach the Chinese language in Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, the two sides signed an MoU to encourage direct investment as well as an action plan to activate the provisions of the MoC in the field of housing.

After the exchange of the agreements and MoUs, a ceremony was held to award the Chinese President an honorary doctorate at King Saud University as a tribute to the President’s achievements and his great efforts in management and leadership.

President Xi Jinping arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia. He will attend two summits apart from the Chinese-Saudi summit: The Riyadh Gulf-China Summit for Cooperation and Development; and Riyadh Arab-China Summit for Cooperation and Development.