Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Riyadh 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 US$16 billion, 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 US 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.
(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2006)
