RIYADH, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived here
on Saturday morning, beginning his first state visit to Saudi Arabia at the
invitation of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz.
During his three-day visit here, President Hu will
hold talks with King Abdullah and meet with other Saudi leaders to exchange
views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common
concern. They will also discuss ways to strengthen the friendly cooperation
between China and Saudi Arabia.
In his written statement delivered upon arrival at
the airport in Riyadh, President Hu said Sino-Saudi relations have progressed
steadily since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990, and the Chinese
side is satisfied with the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation in such
fields as politics, economy, trade, and culture.
He said China attaches great importance to the
relationship with Saudi Arabia and will work with the Saudi side to continuously
push forward the development of bilateral friendship and cooperation.
President Hu added he is convinced that his visit
will further promote the friendship between the two countries and the two
peoples, as well as the development of bilateral friendship and strategic
cooperation.
Saudi Arabia is now China's largest trading partner
in West Asia and North Africa. In 2005, trade volume between the two countries
exceeded 16 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 56 percent as compared with the
previous year.
In January, King Abdullah paid a successful visit to
China, during which the two countries signed a number of cooperation documents.
President Hu flew here from the U.S. state of
Connecticut after a state visit to the United States. Saudi Arabia is the second
leg of his five-nation tour, which will also take him to Morocco, Nigeria and
Kenya. Enditem
Backgrounder>> Exchange of high-level visits between
Chinese, Saudi leaders
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