China attaches great importance to sustainable development and is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in relevant fields, a visiting senior Chinese official said Thursday.
He Guoqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, made the remarks during a visit to Masdar City, a global clean-technology cluster that is currently under construction on the outskirts of the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.
The Chinese official viewed the scale model of the carbon- neutral city, a renewable energy initiative of Abu Dhabi which kicked off the project in 2008. He was also briefed by UAE officials on the plan and paid a field visit to some facilities of the city.
He praised the advanced concepts in relation to urban development, saying China supports Abu Dhabi’s attempt to base the International Renewable Energy Agency’s headquarters in Masdar.
On Wednesday, he also held talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
China-UAE relations have developed smoothly since they established diplomatic ties in 1984, He said, adding that in recent years, the two countries exchanged frequent high-level visits and continuously expanded economic and trade cooperation.
People-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the UAE have also become more and more active, he noted, saying the two sides continued to strengthen coordination and cooperation on important international affairs.
China attaches great importance to its relations with the UAE and is willing to work with the Gulf nation to push forward the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries, He said.
On the current situation in the Middle East, he said China, which maintains friendly cooperative ties with Mideast countries, including the UAE and its neighbors, has made efforts in realizing peace and stability in the region.
Against the backdrop of significant changes in the regional situation, China is willing to play its due role as a permanent member of UN Security Council and work with the international community to strive for the realization of peace, stability and development in the Middle East, He said.
For his part, Sheikh Mohammed firstly extended his heartfelt congratulation on the 90th founding anniversary of the CPC, saying China has seen rapid socio-economic development since the country adopted reform and open-up policy.
China’s tremendous changes have proved the Chinese leadership’s wisdom, foresight and outstanding abilities, he said.
Sheikh Mohammed said that in the past decade, the two countries ‘ cooperation has made headway smoothly, with economic and trade exchanges increasingly expanded.
The UAE hopes to maintain the sound momentum in bilateral relations and to continue to broaden cooperative fields between the two sides, he noted.
The current relationship between the UAE and China is becoming closer and they share more and more common interests, Sheikh Mohammed said.
He expressed his hope that the two sides would make concerted efforts to establish a strategic partnership as soon as possible.
Sheikh Mohammed voiced support for He’s proposal on the two countries’ projects of cooperation in such fields as energy sources and railway construction.
He arrived in Dubai late Tuesday for an official visit to the UAE, the fourth leg of his five-nation tour which has already taken him to France, Poland and Serbia and will also take him to Iran.
