RIYADH: The next stop for the exhibition of Saudi archaeological masterpieces known as “Roads of Arabia” will be in China and will hightlight the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), met Liu Yu Zhu, director general of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China, at SCTNH headquarters recently.

A SCTNH official said: “During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the Kingdom and China in cultural areas — archaeological excavations, handicrafts and taking advantage of China’s long experience in these areas including antiquities and heritage. Also arrangements to hold the Roads of Arabia Show in China and the Chinese exhibition at the National Museum in Riyadh during the current year 2016 were discussed.”

The Roads of Arabia exhibition is expected to open in China in the third quarter of this year and the National Museum in Riyadh will host a visiting exhibition from China that will highlight cultural relations between the Arabian Peninsula and China.

The Roads of Arabia exhibition in China will be its starting point for a tour in East Asia.

Commenting on the cooperation Prince Sultan said, “We are pleased to sign this agreement with a friendly country with a deep-rooted culture and history with which we have strong relations. We have agreed that a Chinese integrated team of experts in antiquities, especially sunken antiquities and Chinese antiquities in the Arabian Peninsula will visit the Kingdom in order to explore sites as a joint Saudi-Chinese team and to carry out archaeological excavation and scientific research.”

The Chinese director general also expressed his pleasure on the cooperation between the Kingdom and China. The two countries are linked by a variety of relations and cultural exchanges the new agreement falls within the framework of further strengthening cultural ties.

The Roads of Arabia exhibition has been seen in a number of European countries and also in the United States.