Prince Mohammed’s visit to boost ties with economic power houses
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visits to China and Japan are his first since his appointment. They both are of great importance to boosting Saudi Arabia’s strategic relations with Beijing and Tokyo.
According to Chinese and Japanese media, the high-level visit is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to boost political, economic and oil cooperation with these two Asian countries, as well as enhance ties and friendly relations in order to promote global stability and peace in the face of the growing threat of terrorism.
At the G-20 summit, which will take place on Sept. 4 and 5 in Hangzhou, the deputy crown prince will present Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 as well as the Kingdom’s regional and international policies to the leaders of the G-20 countries.
The G-20 summit will address various topics of key importance, such as the contribution of creativity to growth, active global economic and financial management, and international trade and investment.
According to Chinese sources quoted in a local publication, the only Arab country participating in the G-20 meeting will play a significant role in setting the mechanism for the summit, and that China highly values its partnership with the Kingdom and welcomes its participation in efforts to reach substantial results that serve global interest.
During his visit to Beijing, the deputy crown prince will be signing a number of memorandums of understanding recently approved by the Council of Ministers, in the field of cooperation in the mineral resources and energy sector, industry, oil storage, water resources, as well as technical cooperation programs and an agreement for the establishment of a Saudi-Chinese Center for Technology Transfer.
The prince will also chair the first meeting of the Saudi-Chinese Joint Committee.
Saudi Arabia already signed, during the visit of the Chinese president to the Kingdom earlier this year, a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding to boost cooperation in the field of economy, as part of the Silk Road initiative, in addition to the 21st century Maritime Silk Road initiative. Other agreements covered cooperation in energy, science and technology, joint efforts to combat terrorism, development in the field of renewable energy, and an agreement for the establishment of a nuclear reactor with high-temperature coolant gas.
Chinese sources highlighted the importance of the new Silk Road initiative, which will enhance economic and cultural trade between China and other countries.
The road will start in Russia, pass through Central Asia and end in southwestern Asia. Energy will be the main focus of economic exchange between countries along the Silk Road, with Saudi Arabia having a prominent role in this regard.
In Japan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss means of deepening strategic cooperation between Riyadh and Tokyo in various fields, so as to move closer toward fulfilling the Vision 2030 objectives.
Japanese sources say Tokyo is giving significant importance and weight to the prince’s first visit, expected to have a positive impact on the relations between the two countries.
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