JEDDAH: A Chinese government official has praised the culture of Saudi Arabia and said more needs to be done to strengthen ties between the two countries. This took place during a visit by a Chinese delegation to a branch of the Ministry of Culture and Information in Makkah Region Monday. The visit comes on the sidelines of the Chinese Culture Week that kicked off Saturday in Riyadh, to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Saudi Arabia. Saud Al-Shaikhi, head of the Ministry of Culture and Information branch in Makkah Region, had a meeting at his office with the Chinese delegation headed by Yang Zhi, Assistant Director of the bureau for external cultural relations at the Chinese Ministry of Culture, along with Wang Yong, the Chinese Consul General. Yang expressed his admiration for the recent cultural developments in Saudi Arabia. He said that he suggested to the Chinese minister of culture that Saudi Arabia is an important destination. Al-Shaikhi replied that the government of Saudi Arabia was eager to strengthen cultural ties with all Islamic and friendly countries. Yang said that it was a pity that Saudi people know little about Chinese culture, except about Chinese food served at restaurants. “It really hurt me to hear that. I think we must do more to introduce our culture to Saudi people. I would like to invite Saudi media, thinkers and intellectuals to visit China to see how culturally developed it is,” said Yang. Al-Shaikhi said that Saudi Arabia has a rich and diversified culture. He pointed out that the annual Janadriyah Cultural Festival has become a global cultural event. He said the revival of Souk Okaz was another example of the Saudi interest in culture. Al-Shaikhi said more visits and joint cultural activities will be held in both countries in future.
