RIYADH, 16 April 2006 — Chinese President Hu Jintao will arrive in Riyadh next Saturday on a two-day state visit to the Kingdom that points to the growing importance of a mutually important relationship, a senior diplomat from the Chinese Embassy told Arab News yesterday.
China has become a major importer of Saudi oil as its economy continues to grow at record rates.
“With a persistent very high growth in GDP (gross domestic product), China needs energy to fuel its growth,” said Saudi economist Ihsan Bu Hulaiga.
But the relationship with Riyadh is also important to Beijing “for geopolitical reasons, given the Kingdom’s weight in Arab, Gulf and Islamic circles,” he explained.
President Hu will hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, and he is also scheduled to visit the Shoura Council, where he will deliver a speech before its members.
“This will be the second time the two countries’ top leaders have met this year. King Abdullah visited China in January, which was his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in August last year,” the diplomat said.
President Hu’s five-nation visit will include, apart from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said energy issues will be an important component of Hu’s trip to Saudi Arabia and later Africa, but are “not the only domain” of cooperation.
King Abdullah oversaw the signing of five economic deals, including an energy agreement, during a landmark visit to China in January, the first by a Saudi king since diplomatic relations were established in 1990.
The Kingdom is China’s largest trade partner in Middle East and North Africa with bilateral trade reaching $16 billion in 2005.
Besides his official talks with King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, President Hu will also discuss regional matters with GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiya.
He will also sign a series of agreements on cooperation in sports and youth programs, energy and health affairs. The agreement on health cooperation will include the exchange of medical experts between the two countries and the introduction of traditional Chinese medicine into the Kingdom.
He will also meet Saudi businessmen in Riyadh at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and will receive the members of his community at a reception to be held at the Chinese Embassy.
During President Hu’s visit to the Eastern Province, he is expected to hold talks with Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd and also visit the King Fahd Causeway and Saudi Aramco in Dhahran.
Bandar Al-Aiban, who chairs the foreign affairs committee of the Shoura Council, attributed Saudi Arabia’s drive to strike partnerships with Asian giants to several factors.
Asian countries are “an expanding market for Saudi oil and petrochemical products,” he said.
Moreover, Riyadh is undergoing an economic growth comparable to what some of the Asian nations experienced and opening up its economy following its accession to the World Trade Organization, Aiban said.
Saudi Arabia also hosts millions of Asian workers, “and it is normal that it should forge good relations with their home countries,” he said.
But Saudi Arabia’s growing Asian links should not be seen as a bid to spite traditional Western allies, who themselves are increasingly engaging with Asian powers, Aiban added.
The Kingdom shipped over 20 million tons of oil to China last year, amounting to 17 percent of Beijing’s total crude imports.
