President Xi and Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Expanding Bilateral Relations

President Xi and Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Expanding Bilateral Relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud， Saudi Arabias crown prince， on February 22 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

“China regards Saudi Arabia as a good friend and partner， and is ready to work closely with Saudi Arabia to build on past achievements to open up a new horizon for bilateral friendship and strategic relationship，” said Xi. He noted that with the guidance of high-level leaders from both sides， the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has formed a new pattern in recent years， in which the relationship is being advanced at multiple levels and in a wide variety of fields.

China and Saudi Arabia should continue to extend mutual support on issues involving each others core interests and major concerns and promote political mutual trust， he said.

“The two countries should speed up the signing of an implementation plan on connecting the Belt and Road Initiative with the Saudi Vision 2030，” Xi said， also expecting further progress on pragmatic cooperation in areas such as energy， infrastructure， trade， investment， and high value-added industries.

Saudi Arabia and China have a long history of friendly exchanges， enjoy an amicable relationship and rapid development in economic and trade cooperation at present， and there is no divergence between the two sides， Mohammed said.

“We see China as an important strategic partner and appreciate Chinas support for the domestic reforms and development of Saudi Arabia，” he said.

Noting that the Arabian Peninsula is a part of the ancient Silk Road， Mohammed said Saudi Arabia supports the Belt and Road Initiative and hopes to align it with the Saudi Vision 2030 to deepen bilateral practical cooperation in various fields.

“Saudi Arabia firmly adheres to the one-China policy. We respect and support Chinas rights to take counter-terrorism and de-extremism measures to safeguard national security. We stand ready to strengthen cooperation with China，” he said.

Chinese State Councilor Meets Co-Chair of Intergovernmental Negotiations on the UN Security Council Reform

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Christian Braun， a co-chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on UN Security Council Reform of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly， on March 1.

Wang said that with the recent rise of unilateralism and the attack against multilateral mechanism， people should strongly support the United Nations to play its due role.

Noting that it is necessary for the UN to keep pace with the times， promote reforms， and improve efficiency， Wang said reform of the UN Security Council should aim to increase the representation and voice of developing countries and small and mediumsized countries， truly reflecting international fairness and justice.

Wang expected all parties to conduct democratic consultations to realize a comprehensive consensus， to help ensure that the reform of the UN Security Council conforms to the purposes of the UN Charter and the common interests of all UN members.

Braun， also a permanent representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations， said he agreed that the reform of the UN Security Council should be a gradual process with inclusiveness and transparency and should be advanced on the right track in line with the common aspirations of UN members.

Senior Chinese Official Meets Greek FM

Yang Jiechi， a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee， met with Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos in Beijing on March 4.

Yang， also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee， expressed his hope that the two countries will maintain high-level exchanges， consolidate political mutual trust， strengthen strategic alignment， and expand cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Stressing the importance of safeguarding multilateralism and international rules based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter， Yang called on both sides to intensify coordination on international affairs， promote the comprehensive strategic partnership of the two countries， and advance the development of the China-Europe relationship.

Katrougalos said Greece will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and play a constructive role in promoting bilateral relations and Europe-China cooperation.

“China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. This is the most important thing we can learn from the past. China and the United States should stay on the course without any doubt and work together to build a relationship based on coordination， cooperation and stability– an important understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries.”

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on Chinas foreign policy and relations on the sidelines of the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress in Beijing on March 8， 2019.