BEIJING- His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, have discussed bilateral cooperation and development opportunities as well as other issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, His Highness and the Premier of the State Council reviewed the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the light of their common vision for strong bilateral ties and their keenness to expand areas of partnership for mutual benefit.

This will pave the way for a new phase of cooperation in economic, cultural and scientific fields, in addition to the promising investment opportunities available within the framework of cooperation and joint action. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed praised the level of development in economic relations between the two countries and pointed out that China was UAE’s largest trading partner. He said bilateral ties were likely to be further strengthened in view of the great economic potential of the two countries and the political will of their leadership to push these relations forward and create conditions for their advancement. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said the UAE and China had ample scope to deepen their trade and investment ties, particularly in the areas of energy, technology and artificial intelligence, which the UAE attaches great importance to, with a view to enhance its future development.

His Highness also referred to the UAE's attractive investment climate for foreign capital, its legal and legislative environment that is supportive for business, and the advanced infrastructure that attracts foreign investors from all over the world. He said this made the UAE an important centre on the new Silk Road being built by China. The Premier of the State Council welcomed the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, which comes within the framework of historical relations and cooperation between the two countries. He expressed his appreciation for the influential role played by the UAE at the regional and international levels in light of its leadership vision and keenness to increase the UAE’s contributions as a driving force for development and prosperity.

The meeting was attended from the UAE side by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports; Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry; Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education; Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and Presidential Special Envoy to China; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Crown Prince's Court of Abu Dhabi; and Dr. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of the UAE to China. In attendance from the Chinese side were He Lifeng, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Wang Yi, Foreign Minister, Ni Jian, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UAE, Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce, and Chen Xiaodong, Assistant Foreign Minister.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2019.