ABU DHABI – With the upcoming visit of President Xi Jinping of China, global media outlets have placed a spotlight on the burgeoning ties between the UAE and China.

According to XinhuaNet, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the UAE at the invitation of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as part of a five-nation tour from 19th to 24th July. This will be the first tour by a Chinese head of state in 29 years.

Quoting China’s Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, XinhuaNet said that Xi's first time to visit foreign countries after his re-election as Chinese president as a major "diplomatic move" that will promote UAE-China bilateral ties. It will also seek to advance the Belt and Road construction in the Gulf region, peace and stability in the Middle East, and building a closer community of shared future for China and Africa, Kong said.

Highlighting the significant trade ties between the UAE and China, Zawya noted the UAE Ambassador to China, Ali Obaid Ali Al Dhaheri, expressing his hopes the country will be able to double its trade with China over the next ten years.

In a recent Op-Ed published on the China Daily website, the UAE Minister of State, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said that the upcoming state visit will mark a "significant milestone" in the relationship between the two countries, noting the upcoming 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Dr. Al Jaber went on to highlight the siginificant trade ties between the UAE and China, where trade jumped 15 percent to top US$52 billion, growing "an impressive 800 fold since 1984, making China one of the UAE's top trading partners." "Yet our relationship is far more than transactional," he emphasised, highlighting the century-old cultural links between China and the Arab world.

According to The BRICS Post, China’s Ambassador to the UAE, Ni Jian said that President Xi’s trip to the UAE highlights a relationship that is at "its peak" and enjoys "mutual respect, friendship and win-win cooperation." Cooperation such as the Hassyan Clean Coal project, are a symbol of said win-win ties.

According to XinhuaNet, the project is the Middle East’s first power station with a Chinese venture in investment and construction. Located in Dubai, the project was started by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, in November 2016 under a joint venture with ACWA Power Harbin Holding Company, consisting of Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and China's Harbin Electric International. Operations are expected to begin in 2020.

XinhuaNet also reported that Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, DMCC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Council for the Promotion Of International Trade, CCPIT, on 11th July.

"The agreement with CCPIT, China's national foreign trade and investment promotion agency, was reached during DMCC's latest Made for Trade Live roadshow in the Chinese central city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province," the agency added.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2018.