RIYADH, 23 April 2003 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing are to exchange visits in the near future as part of the growing bilateral relations between the two countries that will also see China getting more politically engaged with the Middle East to counter any “hegemony” in the region by any single country.
Chinese Ambassador Wu Sike told Arab News in a special interview that China will rev up its political engagement with the region to counterbalance what he implied was domination by the US. Bilateral trade with the Kingdom grew by 25 percent last year and a whopping 83 percent in January this year alone.
The ambassador described as “unfortunate” reports which suggested that the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was the result of Chinese germ warfare research that had escaped into the environment. He said of 31 epidemics that played havoc in the world, four or five originated in his country, thus it did not make sense that China should undertake germ warfare against its own people.
He said the Chinese government deployed the best medical brains in its battle against SARS, and thanks to their effort a breakthrough had been achieved in developing a diagnostic kit for SARS.
“We still have a lot of work to do for the eradication of SARS. But progress is being made in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The important thing is to create awareness about the problem and focus on preventive measures. We are issuing updates on a daily basis as a result of which the situation is now under control.”
The ambassador admitted that tourism from the Kingdom had declined substantially as a result of SARS but did not have the statistics readily available. Even so, a Saudi businessman who returned from Guandangong recently told him that he had not found the situation as alarming the media made out.
The ambassador said the sharp increase in bilateral trade had created a climate conducive to the development of joint ventures. Bilateral trade shot up from $4 billion in 2001 to $5.1 billion last year, representing a 25 percent surge. However, in January this year alone, bilateral trade reached $500 million — a dramatic rise of 83 percent over the corresponding period of last year.
Buoyed by the robust growth in Saudi-Chinese relations, Chinese investors applied for and secured six licenses from the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). They include petrochemical, pharmaceutical, tire manufacturing and construction material projects in Riyadh, Jeddah and Yanbu.
One project in the Kingdom envisages the production of medicinal herbs for the treatment and cure of heart diseases. “The Kingdom has some very useful herbs growing in the desert. Once the plant comes on stream, part of the production will cater to the local market, while the rest will be exported,” Wu said.
The ambassador said Prince Saud had invited his Chinese counterpart to visit the Kingdom and a similar invitation had gone out to Prince Saud from the Chinese side, though dates for both visits have yet to be set. He said that in line with its strategy for closer political relations, China held regular political consultations with the Foreign Office in Riyadh. His government also named a special envoy for the Middle East to monitor political developments in the region.
He described as “totally unacceptable” any attempt to sideline the UN in providing humanitarian relief in Iraq. The UN must play a key role in Iraq, and the Iraqi people alone should have the final say in the formation of a government, he added.
