Faheem Al-Hamid Okaz/Saudi Gazette BEIJING — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China Friday began a new era of cooperation and understanding and cemented their relations further by signing four agreements in the field of bilateral investments, scientific research, quality control and education. Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, deputy premier and minister of defense, described the agreements as satisfactory. Crown Prince Salman also held talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. After talks with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao, the crown prince said he was satisfied with the “identity of views” on various bilateral and international issues during his talks with Chinese leaders. On bilateral issues, the crown prince said, the two sides have agreed to expand the circle of cooperation, especially in the political, security, economic, commercial, industrial, scientific, technological, energy and cultural fields and work for tightening the contacts between the private sectors in both countries and entering into joint ventures and investments to the mutual interest of the two friendly peoples. The agreement on cooperation program between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom and the Public Department for Quality Control, Tests and Quarantine of China, was signed by Kingdom's Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabia and Chi Shoping, president of the Chinese department. China's Vice President Li also attended the signing ceremony. The agreement aims at curbing the flow of imitated or forged goods into the Saudi markets. To reach this end, the agreement envisages a number of measures like blacklisting merchants and factories involved in imitating or making counterfeit products in both the countries. The agreement also talks of exemplary punishment for the erring factories and exporters. The fruitful cooperation between the two countries, Crown Prince Salman said, was not confined to certain fields. “We have witnessed transformation of this relation into a strategic partnership with wide dimensions to the benefit of the two friendly peoples,” he said. “The signing of a number of memoranda of understanding in the fields of investment and cooperation in space sciences and technology and technical cooperation program in the commercial field, contribution of the Saudi Development Fund in financing a project to establish university buildings in the state of Sanche, once more confirm the depth of this partnership and its good objectives based on the joint desire to continue the historical ties binding our two peoples and our common endeavor to achieve comprehensive development in our two countries in the service of peace and stability,” the crown prince said. The memorandum of understanding between King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the Chinese National Space Management for Cooperation in the fields of space sciences and technologies was signed by Dr. Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Suwayel, President of KACST, and Cheo Datchi, Deputy Minister for Industry and Information Technology and President of the Chinese National Space Management for Space, Sciences and Technologies. The MoU on the Saudi Development Fund's contribution to co-finance the new headquarters for the University of Leolyang in the Sanche state of China was signed on the Saudi side by the fund's Deputy President Yousef Bin Ibrahim Al-Bassam and on the Chinese side by Wang Bawon, deputy minister of finance. The fourth and last agreement was on cooperation in boosting investment between the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the Investment Development Commission, an affiliate of the Ministry of Commerce of China. It was signed by SAGIA Governor Abdullatif Al-Othman and on the Chinese side by the Commission's Chairman Leo Diancheon. On international issues, the crown prince said the Kingdom appreciates the Chinese position supporting the rights of the Palestinians. Crown Prince Salman said President Xi Jinping's stress on a prompt peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria through complete implementation of Geneva I declaration issued on June 30, 2012. The declaration calls for the establishment of an interim ruling authority with full executive powers. The crown prince hoped that the world community would unite to coerce the Syrian regime to “stop bloodshed of the dear Syrian people.”
