China to deepen cooperation with Saudi Arabia: FM

RIYADH, Dec. 26 -- China is ready to take part in Saudi Arabia's strategy for economic diversification and deepen cooperation with the Gulf Arab nation in various fields, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday.

During a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal, Wang said mutual political trust between China and Saudi Arabia, fostered by the two countries' leaders, continues to be strengthened, with pragmatic cooperation in such areas as trade, economy and energy making headway steadily.

He said the two countries have maintained sound communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, adding that Saudi Arabia, a major developing nation in the Arab and Islamic world, is an important strategic partner of China in the Middle East and the Gulf region.

China attaches great importance to the development of its strategic friendly relations with Saudi Arabia and always gives priority to the bilateral ties with the country in the region, said the Chinese top diplomat.

Wang said his country is willing to maintain momentum of high-level exchanges with Saudi Arabia, deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation in such traditional areas as energy, trade and economy, and broaden cooperation in the new fields of nuclear energy and aerospace.

China will also push forward strategic dialogue and free trade talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, keep close communication in international and regional affairs, and enhance coordination within the United Nations, the Group of Twenty (G20) and other multilateral organizations, he said.

Al-Faisal, calling Saudi Arabia and China good friends, voiced his admiration for China's achievements of development and spoke highly of the country's promotion of justice in international affairs.

Saudi Arabia hopes that China will play a more active role in the international arena, he said, adding that his country is willing to work with China to boost their all-around pragmatic cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is the last leg of his five-nation Middle East trip, which has taken him to Palestine, Israel, Algeria and Morocco.