Anwar Habibullah, consul general of China, and Adel Abudul Rahman Bakhsh, deputy director general and director of protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs branch in Makkah region, with other diplomats cut a cake to celebrate the 66th anniversary of China's foundation. — SG photo by Samar Yahya Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The Chinese consulate here celebrated the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the weekend with a grand reception. Consul General Anwar Habibullah welcomed diplomats from Arab and other foreign countries, as well as many prominent Saudi figures, members of the Chinese community in the Kingdom and media representatives. In his speech, Habibullah spoke of the 5,000 years of China's history predating the establishment of the people's republic. “During the 66 eventful years, time and again, miracle after miracle, great achievements have been made with the concerted efforts of the Chinese people of all ethnicities,” he said. “The relationship between China and the world has undergone profound changes. China has become the world's second largest economy and the biggest trading nation.” On Saudi-Chinese relations, Habibullah said: “Both China and Saudi Arabia uphold the common ideal of maintaining world peace, respect our own choices of development path based on our own national conditions and play a constructive role in the regional and international affairs.” He said that since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1990, they have formed a mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship that has seen increasing trade and people-to-people exchanges. Habibullah also referred to the 14,500 Chinese Muslims performing Haj this year. He congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on the occasion of the 85th Saudi National Day to be celebrated this week. While China is the largest developing nation, the country still faces a number of severe challenges. China's per capita GDP of around $7,500 ranks only 79th in the world.
