China, Saudi Arabia sign 'comprehensive strategic partnership'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Dec 2022 23:29
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China's leader Xi Jinping attends Riyadh-China Arab summit in Saudi Arabia and signs comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Riyadh.

In this photo made available by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, With the presence of Arab Gulf Leaders, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, forth right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, after the group photo, during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

The Riyadh-China Arab summit for cooperation and Development, held in the Saudi capital, ended its work on Friday, confirming in its final statement the adoption of the "Riyadh declaration" as a starting point for Arab-Chinese understanding in order to develop joint relations in the trade, investment, financial and political fields.

The Chinese President arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for his first visit since 2016 to the world's largest oil exporter, focused on promoting economic and diplomatic rapprochement between the Asian giant and Arab countries.

The Riyadh Declaration, which was read out by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and its full text was published on the Saudi Press Agency website, stressed the need to "strengthen the strategic partnership between the Arab countries and China based on comprehensive cooperation and joint development for a better future", and to "strengthen solidarity and cooperation between the Arab countries and the Republic of China and support the achievement of growth and development of both nations".

The declaration also referred to the need to "strengthen solidarity between the Arab countries and China in various international forums on global issues of common interest" and confirmed "the determination to continue political consultation and exchange of support between the two sides on issues related to their core interests".

Regarding relations with Tehran, the statement stressed that "Iran is part of the region and a neighbor, and Riyadh will continue to extend its hand in pursuit of a positive relationship that serves the stability of the region".

Regarding occupied Palestine, the Arab-Chinese joint declaration affirmed "the illegality of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories and the occupied Arab territories" and the "invalidity of Israel's unilateral practices aimed at changing the status quo in al-Quds".

The declaration called for "an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East al-Quds as its capital" and reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue remains a central issue and requires a just and lasting solution based on the two-state solution.

The declaration touched upon the situation in Syria and the Arab countries experiencing conflict, stressing "the importance of finding political solutions to the crises in Syria, Libya, and Yemen and preserving their territorial integrity".

On Thursday, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between the two countries on the sidelines of the Chinese President's visit to the kingdom.

Asia has been for the past decade the top export market for Saudi crude, in particular China, South Korea, Japan, and India.

The visit resulted in around 20 deals signed by both governments spanning several fields and sectors.

The two sides also signed a number of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding, including a plan to align the kingdom's Vision 2030 with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, a memorandum of understanding in the field of hydrogen energy, and a memorandum of understanding in the field of Direct Investment Promotion.