Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia as part of his Middle East tour. (Photo : Getty Images)
Together with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the iconic Murabba Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday and had a taste of the traditional Arab culture while dining with local residents, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi did not only enjoy watching the performance of folk dances in the morning, he later joined the revelry along with the Salman.
After tasting Arab cuisine, the two leaders headed to the exhibition hall featuring the life and works of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The historic palace was built by Abdul and was named after its square form of 400 by 400 meters. The construction of the landmark took nine years and was fully completed in 1945.
During his visit, Xi lauded the Saudi government's efforts to preserve the kingdom's time-honored and rich cultural heritage. He additionally cited that diligence of the Saudi people to work hand in hand with the authorities to preserve their tradition while developing the kingdom's modern facilities.
On the same occasion, Xi looked back on his state visit to the country, expressing his satisfaction with the fruitful partnerships he forged with the Arab leader. These include the "upgrading [of their] bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership and [the establishment of] a high-level steering committee for coordinating bilateral cooperation," the report noted.
Xi and Salman also attended a ceremony at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in the afternoon. They led the inauguration of the operation of Yasref oil refinery, which is a joint project of China's Sinopec and Saudi Aramco.
The venture serves as the country's biggest investment endeavor in Saudi Arabia. It is also the first refinery built by Sinopec overseas.
Yarsef is a 5.2-million-square-meter full-conversion refinery in the industrial city of Yanbu. It plays a vital role in the development of the city, the firm said.
The two companies signed the partnership earlier in 2012, with a total investment worth around $10 billion.
After the ceremony, Xi ended his two-day Arab state visit. He then headed to Egypt as part of his three-country Middle East tour.
