Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Li Chengwen held a press conference at the Chinese Embassy here today, during which he praised the strong ties between China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The press conference was held on the occasion of the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia scheduled on Saturday. The Chinese Ambassador described the visit as deepening the strategic relations between the two countries and developing cooperation between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States. "During 2011, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached $52.1 billion," the ambassador said.