China willing to forge all-round, high level cooperation with Saudi Arabia: Chinese FM

ISLAMABAD, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China and Saudi Arabia are good friends and brothers who trust each other and seek common development, and both have always supported each other on issues concerning their core interests, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday.

China is willing to forge all-round, high level cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Wang said during a meeting with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in the Pakistani capital, where Wang is attending the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Wang said China appreciates Saudi Arabia for taking an objective, fair position on issues related to China and for its support for China's legitimate propositions.

China supports Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and national dignity, as well as its major development strategies, such as the Green Middle East initiative and the Vision 2030, Wang said.

He added that he would like to seize the opportunity of his participation in the OIC foreign ministers' meeting to elevate the ties between China and the Islamic countries to a new level.

For his part, Faisal said he is proud of the ties between the two countries and their high-level strategic cooperation, and agreed to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

He said his country is willing to deepen the integration with China's Belt and Road Initiative and expand its pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields, so as to achieve the complementarity of their respective advantages.

Both Saudi Arabia and China adhere to the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, uphold multilateralism and advocate that international agenda should serve the interests of the majority of countries instead of those of individual states, Faisal added.

Wang and Faisal exchanged views on the cooperation between China and Arab states, and agreed to enhance communication and coordination on the preparation work for the upcoming China-Arab summit, and to join hands to build the China-Arab states community with a shared future in the new era.

They also agreed to step up communication on upgrading the relations between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), accelerate the process of establishing the China-GCC strategic partnership, and work for the achievement of a free trade agreement, so as to provide a strong impetus for their development and the world economic recovery.

Both sides discussed the Yemen issue, with Wang saying that China understands the reasonable concerns of Saudi Arabia and would like to play a constructive role in pushing for a political settlement of the Yemen issue.

Wang and Faisal also held talks on matters related to Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Iran nuclear issue.