The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking toward further development in the bilateral strategic partnership with China, a senior UAE official said on Wednesday, Dec. 9, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Sultan Bin Ahmed Sultan Al-Jaber, minister of state and chairman of the UAE Board of the National Media Council, said that the UAE and China share common goals to promote regional and global prosperity and stability.
Al-Jaber said that China can count on the UAE and depend on it as a regional partner in advancing its "Belt and Road initiative." The UAE official made the pronouncement during a joint press conference with Chinese Ambassador Chang Hua, in preparation for the official visit to China by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
"We see our relationship with China as a strategic one, built upon the foundations of respect, trust and equality," said Al-Jaber.
President Xi Jinping proposed the "Belt and Road initiative," short for the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, in 2013, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Al-Jaber expressed the UAE's appreciation and support for China's "Belt and Road initiative" and its relevant measures, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The official also noted that the UAE has become a founding member of the China-backed multilateral development institution.
The minister said that the UAE would work with China to ensure the success of the crown prince's Dec. 13-16 visit and to bring the bilateral strategic partnership to a new high for the benefit of both countries and both peoples.
Chinese Ambassador Chang Hua, on the other hand, said that the crown prince's visit came at a crucial time when the two countries are trying to manage challenges, to promote a sustained development of the bilateral strategic partnership, and to work to implement the "Belt and Road initiative."
Chang expects the two sides to discuss ways for further cooperation in various fields and pave the way for a new chapter in the China-UAE relationship.