UAE (Washington Insider) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, urging expanded cooperation in trade, energy, technology, Belt and Road projects, and multilateral coordination.
As Andolu Ajansi News reported, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the United Arab Emirates to expand cooperation in both traditional and new industries. He made the remarks during a meeting with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
Wang said China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges and build political trust between the 2 countries. He emphasised raising bilateral relations to a strategic and comprehensive level. Wang also highlighted the Belt and Road Initiative, saying the 2 nations should work together in sectors like energy, infrastructure, and investment.
Wang stressed Beijing's support for the UAE pursuing
"a development path suited to its national conditions, safeguarding its national security and development, as well as playing a greater role in international and regional affairs,"
it said.
What are China and the UAE doing to deepen cooperation in trade, technology, and regional partnerships?
Wang also encouraged collaboration in emerging industries such as renewable energy, advanced technology, and innovation-driven sectors. He said this cooperation would help the UAE diversify its economy beyond oil and gas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the United Arab Emirates on multilateral platforms. He said this cooperation is important to uphold multilateralism and support free trade.
"The UAE is a country in the Middle East with unique importance and influence. China's and the UAE's development strategies are compatible, the governance philosophies are similar, and the economies are highly complementary, making the two countries natural friends and partners,"
Wang said.
Al Nahyan, in turn, said that the UAE
"firmly adheres to the one-China principle, firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and in achieving national reunification, and resolutely opposes external interference in China's internal affairs,"
according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.
Wang noted that the UAE is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China and expand cooperation in several areas. The 2 sides also discussed the situation in the Middle East and ways to support stability in the region. Officials said China will host the 2nd China-Arab States Summit next year.
The UAE was the first Gulf country to establish a Strategic Partnership Arrangement with the Government of China in 2012, and only through continued growth has that Strategic Partnership Arrangement evolved into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Arrangement in 2018.
The efforts between Cohen's and the Arab States are supported within the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which held its 10th Ministerial Meeting in Beijing on May 30, 2024. Furthermore, China's Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, has enabled China to connect with the UAE and other Arab countries.