Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, after attending the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing the previous day.
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Sheikh Mohammed discussed strengthening the partnership between the two countries, and promoting peace in the Middle East, according to a Tweet from his official account.
On Saturday, the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital Beijing.
“I wish the organizers and competitors every success for the Games, which embody the power of sport to promote understanding and friendship among the people of the world,” he Tweeted.
China is one of the United Arab Emirates’ most important trading partners, with World Bank data from 2019 placing the Asian powerhouse as the Gulf nation’s most valuable importer.
Officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met with Chinese leaders in Beijing to discuss economic and strategic partnerships, according to a statement published on January 10 by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
China’s economy is heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, and the two sides have “provided each other with firm support on issues concerning their core interests, and have promoted practical cooperation in various fields with fruitful results,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on January 10.
Visitors to the Winter Olympics are being kept in tightly-controlled isolation bubbles to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as China emphasizes its ‘zero-COVID’ strategy.
Official COVID-19 case numbers and deaths have been comparatively low in the Chinese capital, although numbers have risen as the Olympic Games have begun.
On Friday, 45 new COVID-19 cases were detected, including 26 new arrivals who tested positive at the airport.
With agencies
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