Beijing – London – Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman, arrived to Beijing, Monday, on the second stop of his official tour to Pakistan, China and Japan.

He was received at the airport in Beijing by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Shu, the Chinese ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a number of officials of the Chinese government, and members of the Saudi Embassy in Beijing.

The official visit comes upon the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and in response to the invitation of the Chinese government, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

Prince Mohammed arrived in the Chinese capital from Islamabad, where he met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and several high-ranking officials.

In a cable sent to Sharif, the deputy crown prince expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s hospitality, adding that the visit has offered an opportunity to discuss issues of common interest in order to serve the Islamic nation.

Prince Mohammed also said that the visit underlined the depth of the strategic relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and solidarity between the two brotherly peoples.

Meanwhile, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdullah bin Marzouk Al-Zahrani, described the Saudi-Pakistani relations as strategic.

In comments to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, the Saudi ambassador said that the deputy crown prince’s visit to Pakistan has achieved great results that would further promote the existing strong cooperation between the two countries.

Prince Mohammed’s official delegation to China includes Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Al-Qasabi, State Minister Mohammed Al Sheikh, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Altoraifi, Minister of Environment Abdulrahman All-Fadhli, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of Energy Khaled Al-Faleh, Minister of Housing Majed Al-Huqail, and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed Al-Suayyil, Chief of General Intelligence Khalid Al-Humaidan, as well as other officials.

For his part, Saudi Ambassador to China Turki Al-Madi said in a statement that Prince Mohammed’s visit to China “promotes the march of relations between the Kingdom and China and pushes them toward wider levels to serve the interests of the two friendly countries.”

He added that the visit is an opportunity to display Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 that is met with great interest by Chinese officials.