BEIJING — The Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi said Wednesday here in the capital of China that the Kingdom harnesses innovation in order to diversify the sources of national economy. “The most important pillar we follow in this area is the research and advanced development pillar. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a great example on what we do in this framework, students are in the university, and among them, of course, students from the People's Republic of China, are conducting research to achieve innovations in the areas of solar energy, and biomass technology, and many other areas that deal with the energy sector,” he said during the opening of Saudi Aramco Research Center in Beijing. He added “we also intend in this regard to transform scientific discoveries into technologies that can be marketed commercially, we are at the end of the day, we want the science and technology that will help us to overcome a number of the biggest challenges facing the world in the areas of energy and development.''
Naimi confirmed that Saudi Arabia is fully committed to deepening successful relationship with the People's Republic of China and Chinese partners. He also said “as for what regards cooperation between the two countries, we look forward to fathom the new ideas and take advantage of the great skills enjoyed by the People's Republic of China system. We want to cooperate with the best institutes and Chinese companies and universities working in research and development and its venue areas, we are in it trust and friendship between the two peoples.” Moreover, Naimi remarked that the global energy demand will continue to increase, driven by the population growth, increasing number of people belonging to the middle class, and strong desire of all nations for pushing forward the wheel of progress and economic prosperity. Therefore, it can be said that the need for innovation in the field of energy is affirmed today more than any other time in the human history.'' In his speech, Naimi pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of China recognize that knowledge, research and innovation are essential pillars and a vital matter of great importance for global development. “It is expected that innovative technologies in the field of energy help to overcome the most important challenges facing our two nations in particular and the whole mankind in general.'' — SG
