RIYADH, 9 April 2007 — China’s special envoy Sun Bigan will be in the Kingdom on a three-day visit beginning today as part of regional tour and is said to meet Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and other high-ranking officials at the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
“The purpose of his visit to the region is to hold talks with heads of state on the current issues in the Middle East,” Pan Liang, spokesman from the Chinese Embassy, told Arab News yesterday.
“The current situation in the Middle East and the latest developments in the region will be the focus of Sun’s talks with the Saudi king and Foreign Ministry officials,” he said, adding that the two parties will discuss how best China and the Kingdom can play an effective role in pushing forward the Middle East peace process. Chinese Ambassador Wu Chun Hua is also expected to take part in the discussions that will be held in the capital.
China appointed Sun as special envoy for Middle East affairs in 2002, with an aim of coordinating with relevant parties on regional issues and to seek the support of the international community to promote consultation and dialogue to achieve positive progress in the peace process.
Sun visited the Kingdom in August last year and held talks with King Abdullah on various issues.
Sun, who has served as counselor and deputy director general of the Department of West Asia and North African Affairs at China’s Foreign Ministry, has also served at his country’s missions in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the special envoy is expected to exchange views on the current situation in the Middle East, particularly on the Palestine-Israel issue. During the tour, Sun is scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel and Palestine and will make a stopover at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Qin added.
