Riyadh-- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf has stated that the visit of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and holding the 43rd session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, and the Riyadh Gulf-China Summit for Cooperation and Development confirm the depth of the joint bonds of friendship between the GCC states and the People's Republic of China.
Dr. Al-Hajraf said that the Chinese President’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents an important opportunity to address issues of common interest and build on the historical relations between the GCC states and China towards enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, economy, development among others, in order to serve common interests.
The GCC Secretary General hailed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince, and its hosting of the 43rd session of the Supreme Council, the Riyadh Gulf-China Summit for Cooperation and Development and Riyadh Arab-China Summit for Cooperation and Development in Riyadh. He stressed that holding the three summits in one day contributes to strengthening common understanding and collective action towards consolidating international peace and stability and advancing development in the region and the entire world.
Dr. Al-Hajraf affirmed that the historical relations between the GCC states and the People's Republic of China have recently witnessed a tangible development based on a common understanding and desire towards developing this relationship in terms of exchanging views on different regional and international issues.
With regards to mutual trade, he stated that the volume of trade exchange reached USD 228.9 billion between the GCC states and China in 2021, of which exports amounted to USD 130.6 billion, while imports amounted to USD 98.3 billion, a noticeable increase compared to 2020, where the volume of trade exchange amounted to USD148.2 billion. Fuel and mineral oils topped the list of the exports to China for 2021, with a value of USD 108.8 billion, around 83.3% of the total exports.
Dr. Al-Hajraf expressed hope that the three Riyadh summits will benefit the joint relations, and enhance mutual trade, in a manner that better preserves interests and contributes to unifying views on common political positions.
Source: Saudi Press Agency