Chinese President Hu Jintao, during his visit to the Kingdom starting Tuesday, aims to strengthen strategic Chinese ties with Saudi Arabia. Relations between the Kingdom and China have witnessed rapid development for over 18 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. This is President Hu's second visit to the Kingdom. He first visited Riyadh in April, 2006, clearly reflecting the great interest of the Chinese leadership in the relations of friendship and strategic cooperation between the two countries. King Abdullah has also visited China in 1998 and in 2006. The mutual visits between the leaders of the Kingdom and China have given a strong impetus to the growing cooperation between the two countries in various fields. In 2006, the two countries signed an agreement on security cooperation, defense system contracts, and memorandums of understanding for cooperation in the fields of health and trade. In the cultural field, the two countries signed an agreement for cooperation in the cultural and educational spheres in 2002. The efforts of relief and assistance provided by Saudi Arabia to the affected areas after the disastrous earthquake that hit Chuan Province reflected the deep feelings of friendship of the Saudi people towards the Chinese. Yahyia Abdul Kareem Al-Zaid, the Kingdom's Ambassador to China, said the four new agreements would give a thrust to the strategic partnership between the two countries. He said the Chinese President's visit to the Kingdom comes in the midst of a delicate international situation that necessitates coordination between the Kingdom and China at the highest level with the objective of finding a common vision to tackle the global crises. European circles are giving due attention to this visit as it reflects the Kingdom's diplomatic efforts to obtain a foothold in Asia. Professor Ebehard, in charge of Chinese affairs at the Foreign Relations Foundation in Berlin, said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has heavy political and economic weight and is playing an active role in supporting world stability.” Moreover, he said, China counts on this visit because it is fully aware of the fact that the Kingdom is the bridge between Asia and the Arab countries. The Kingdom has been the largest trade partner of China in Western Asia and Africa for the last eight years with the value of trade reaching $41.8 billion in 2008. This significant increase in the volume of the trade stems from the will of the leadership of the two countries to achieve a new level of cooperation. Yang Hong, the Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom, said his government welcomes Saudi investments in China in the agreed areas. The government, he said, also encourages Chinese companies to invest in the Kingdom. During King Abdullah's visit to China in 2006, the Kingdom and China signed six accords in different aspects of cooperation covering oil, gas and mining. Also, the Kingdom signed a cultural and educational agreement in 2002.
