The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz held official talks in Riyadh yesterday with the Chinese President Xi Jinping who visited Saudi Arabia as part of his tour of the region. The discussions touched upon bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest regional and international developments.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said that his discussions with his guest the Chinese president “are not only in the interests of our country, but will also enhance efforts to bring peace to the region” in a speech that he gave at the beginning of the meeting. King Salman also said that the challenges that the world faces, in particular terrorism, “requires the international community to come together in order to fight it”. He added that the international community must adhere to “the principles established by the UN Charter, especially non-interference in the affairs of states and respecting their sovereignty so that security and peace prevail amongst countries”. He also pointed out that Saudi Arabia and China “strive together for stability and the consolidation of peace and security in the world”.

The summit was concluded by the signing of 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding between the governments of the two countries. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the strengthening of mutual cooperation with respect to the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route initiative and cooperation in production capacity. This memorandum was signed on the Saudi side by the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz who is also Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Council of Economic Affairs and Development, and by the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Xu Shaoshi on the Chinese side. A memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation in the field of science and technology was also signed by the President of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) Prince Dr Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud and the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In addition to this, memoranda of understanding were signed regarding cooperation in the field of satellite navigation, the establishment of a high temperature gas-cooled reactor and research and development between Saudi Aramco and the Chinese Development Research Centre of the State Council.