Ｓａｕｄｉ Ｅｎｔｒｅｐｒｅｎｅｕｒｓ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｃｈｉｎａ

Ｘｉｏｎｇ　Ｌｉａｎｇ

A delegation of Saudi entrepreneurs headed by Abdul-Rahman Ali Al-Jeraisy, president of the Saudi Arabia-China Friendship Association (SACFA) and chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), paid a friendly visit to Beijing, Ningxia and Shaanxi from May 28 to June 1 at the invitation of the CPAFFC.

The CPAFFC conferred on SACFA President Al-Jeraisy the title of Friendship Ambassador. President Al-Jeraisy has made unremitting efforts to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and Saudi Arabia and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries since 1986. Especially since 1997, the CPAFFC and the SACFA have held seven symposiums on China-Saudi Arabia trade and economic relations and trade talks alternately in China and Saudi Arabia and set up the China-Saudi Arabia Mix Committee of Entrepreneurs in 2003. These efforts have played a positive role in helping entrepreneurs of the two countries establish links, deepening their understanding of each others economic and trade policies and projects for investment, and broadening channels for cooperation. In 1997 when the SACFA was founded, the total trade volume between the two countries was less than 1.7 billion US dollars. Ten years later, bilateral trade volume reached 25.36 billion US dollars. This is inseparable from the efforts made by President Al-Jeraisy. The conferring of the title of Friendship Ambassador on him is recognition of his outstanding contributions to people-to-people friendship and economic and trade cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia.

President Al-Jeraisy thanked the CPAFFC for conferring on him the honorary title and said that he would continue to do his best to further the Saudi-China friendly relations and economic and trade exchanges. He emphasized, leaders of Saudi Arabia and China regard each others country as important strategic cooperative partner in the world and bilateral economic and trade contacts have grown smoothly, in which the two friendship organizations and the Mix Committee of Entrepreneurs have played a major role. Saudi Arabia is undergoing a 20-to-25-year period of rapid development. It has a huge domestic market and great potentiality for development. Many enterprises of European countries, the United States and Japan are planning to expand business in the country. Saudi Arabia hopes to share with its close partner China opportunities for development. The high-quality low-price products of China will help its economy takeoff. The frequent exchange of visits between entrepreneurs of the two countries at present has become a main channel to push forward bilateral trade and economic relations. He hoped that the two sides would maintain this momentum and further increase mutual understanding so as to upgrade the level and widen the fields of cooperation. President Al-Jeraisy also expressed profound sympathy and solicitude to the victims of the earthquake-stricken areas in Chinas Sichuan and its neighbouring provinces. He believed that under the leadership of the Chinese government, the people of China would surely win victory over this natural disaster and rebuild the quake areas. The Saudi government and people will continue to assist the Chinese people in their earthquake relief efforts.

In Beijing, Wang Tao, president of the China-Saudi Arabia Friendship Association (CSAFA) hosted a banquet in honour of the delegation. The CPAFFC and the CSCCI jointly held the 8th Symposium on China-Saudi Arabia Trade and Economic Relations and business talks. CSAFA council members from business circles and representatives from 40 Chinese enterprises that have cooperative relations or want to cooperate with Saudi enterprises, totaling 110 people, participated in the symposium and trade talks.

Cui Bohui, secretary of the Yinchuan City Committee of the CPC, and Wang Ruan, mayor of Yinchuan, met with the delegation. The Foreign Affairs Office of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region together with relevant departments of the Region and Yinchuan City sponsored China-Saudi Arabia business talks and presentation of investment invitation projects in Ningxia and Yinchuan. Various departments of the regional government and large and medium-sized enterprises in the region which have economic strength and want to go overseas sent representatives to the presentation and had actively contacted Saudi entrepreneurs. The Saudi delegation visited the Islamic Scripture College of Ning- xia, the Exhibition of Halal Food and Muslim Commodities in Yinchuan and the Hui Culture Park. When visiting the exhibition, the delegation showed great interest in the local specialties of Ningxia. President Al-Jeraisy said that he would keep in contact with the person in charge of the exhibition and introduce these products to the Saudi market. He noted, the delegation came to Yinchuan to hold business talks with the aim of seeking investment opportunities in Ningxia for Saudi entrepreneurs and opening the door for Ningxias entrepreneurs to do business in Saudi Arabia as well. He hoped that Chinese business people would go on study tours to Saudi Arabia and open up market there so that Ningxia products could be exported to Saudi Arabia and Ningxia entrepreneurs would make investment there.

During the delegations visit in Xian, it attended a projects promotion presented by the Xian Muslim Chamber of Commerce. The two sides signed a document on the establishment of friendship ties between the two chambers.