MANAMA - Chinese Ambassador Anwar Habibullah has commended the growing relations between Bahrain and China, which he said, are witnessing continuous development in light of co-ordination between His Majesty King Hamad and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an interview with our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej, he described Bahrain as a key partner of China in the Gulf, stressing that co-operation between the two countries regained momentum last year despite the pandemic, as trade exchange between the two countries rose to $2.189 billion, a 16.24 per cent increase.

Regarding war in Ukraine, the Chinese ambassador said his government supports all international initiatives aimed at ending the conflict by peaceful means and alleviating the humanitarian crisis caused by the war.

He reiterated his government’s firm position calling for dialogue and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

On the reasons for the outbreak of the crisis and war in Ukraine, the Chinese ambassador stressed that the Nato’s continued eastward expansion towards the border with Russia eventually led to the outbreak of the crisis and war. He said the US continues to provide weapons to Ukraine and is not making efforts to end the war.

The ambassador called on all parties to assume their responsibilities and move quickly to end the war as soon as possible.

He said his country calls for achieving balanced security at the regional and international levels through co-operation between all international parties, rejecting the idea of absolute or exclusive security for one party at the expense of others.

Regarding China’s policies to combat Covid-19, he stressed that his country remains committed to zero Covid strategy in the face of the pandemic, which achieves safety for the Chinese society and protects people’s lives, while at the same time creating favourable conditions for a steady economic growth.

In this context, he stressed that the Chinese economy continues to lead the world’s economies with the highest growth rate for the 15th consecutive year.

He said the Chinese economy achieved a growth rate of 8.1 per cent last year despite the repercussions of the pandemic.

The Chinese ambassador pointed out that his country’s economy continues to develop, achieving the equivalent of $6 trillion annually in trade exchanges with other countries, stressing his country’s role and continuous contributions in maintaining the stability of global production and supply chains to avert any food crises the world may face.

© Copyright 2022 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).