Riyadh, Beijing seek WMD-free Mideast

Saudi Arabia and China on Sunday voiced grave concern over the escalating violence in Syria, calling on the international community to focus on a peaceful political solution to the conflict.
Riyadh and Beijing also renewed their commitment to keep the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear weapons, and lent their full support to ensure peace and security in the region.
“The two countries reaffirmed the need for implementation of the Geneva resolutions, which called for the establishment of an interim transitional government in Syria with full executive powers,” said a joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the four-day visit of Crown Prince Salman to China on Sunday.
The statement issued on Sunday covered a whole range of bilateral and regional issues on which the two countries share similar views.
It said the Kingdom and China called on the international community to stop “the killing of innocent people in Syria” during wide-ranging talks in Beijing.
They also stressed the importance of continuing to provide humanitarian assistance and relief for Syrian refugees and encouraging the international community to provide more support for Syrians inside Syria and abroad.
Saudi Arabia and China underlined the need for preventing all attempts by countries to acquire weapons of mass destruction of all kinds.
They also called for exerting efforts to ensure immediate restoration of “the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The communiqué said the two sides agreed to further strengthen friendship and deepen cooperation in all fields in order to achieve common goals. The Saudi side reiterated its commitment to the one-China policy.
The two sides also expressed their willingness to continue strengthening cooperation in the field of energy and stressed the importance of the stability of the oil market for the global economy. The statement said that the two countries also agreed to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, minerals, technology, railways, and science including the field of nuclear energy and its peaceful use.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of international economy in the context of the international financial institutions and the Group of Twenty (G-20).
The two sides reaffirmed the need to begin negotiations for creating a Free Chinese-Gulf Trade Zone. They also agreed to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries and boost cooperation in sports, technical education and youth affairs.
The Saudi side also expressed its support for China to host the Winter Olympics in 2022. The two sides, according to the joint statement, also rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The Saudi side expressed its condemnation of the terrorist acts in Kunming city in China, which killed several innocent people. Riyadh also offered its condolence to China and the families of the victims.