RIYADH: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday encouraged Saudi companies to deepen their involvement in the Chinese market in a meeting with representatives of the Saudi business community in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, along with more than 10 leaders of the government, chambers of commerce, and enterprises, attended the meeting.
After hearing statements by the representatives, Premier Li said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in recent years, China and Saudi Arabia have witnessed the steady development of political ties, and enjoyed shared focuses in their development strategies, with fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation, especially their economic and trade cooperation that boasts strong momentum.
China is now advancing its modernization on all fronts through high-quality development, he noted, adding that China has a super-sized market of over 1.4 billion people with continuously unlocked demand. The country is promoting digital, intelligent and green transformation of industries, as well as scientific and technological innovation in such fields as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, which will give rise to more new drivers for economic growth, Li said.
He welcomes more Saudi enterprises to invest in China to better share the country’s development dividends. Stressing that there are numerous favorable conditions for the two countries to further deepen economic and trade cooperation, Li encouraged Saudi companies to expand and strengthen cooperation with China in traditional sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, infrastructure, and trade, while enhancing cooperation in emerging industries like the digital and green economies.
The Chinese government is committed to creating a top-tier business environment that is market-driven, law-based and internationally oriented, and will further relax market access, the Chinese premier said. China will provide robust support and services for foreign enterprises, helping them establish a stronger presence in the country and achieve success in China, he stressed. Representatives of the Saudi business community said that President Xi’s successful state visit to Saudi Arabia in 2022 has injected strong momentum for the development of bilateral ties.
Noting that China’s Belt and Road Initiative dovetails with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform plan, they expressed optimism about the prospects of China’s development, and full confidence in their development in China, adding that they are willing to continue the investment in China, and deepen cooperation in new energy, finance, digital economy and other fields. Saudi Arabia is the first leg of Li’s four-day visit to the Middle East, which will also take him to the United Arab Emirates. — Reuters