Jeddah: Saudi Foreign Minister Amir Faisal bin Farhan said cooperation with China does not mean non-cooperation with the United States. At the end of the Arab-Chinese summit, the policy was clarified in a press conference held with the secretary general of state of the Arab League Ahmed Abulgheit and the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Naif Al Hajraf.
The Arab-Chinese summit highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation between Arab countries and China. The foreign minister said cooperation with China will face many challenges.
Cooperation with the second largest economy is needed. But that doesn’t mean non-cooperation with the first economy. The country has common interests with China and the United States. We will continue to work towards them. We have negotiated a free trade agreement between China and the GCC countries. The foreign minister explained that communication with China is an extension of regular communication with all countries in the world. The focus is on qualitative decisions that support areas of economic development with China.
Saudi Arabia is not intervening through a pathway. We are open to everyone. We believe in multilateral cooperation. The relationship with China goes beyond the issue of weapons. The foreign minister also said that Saudi Arabia has a strategic partnership with America, India, China, Japan and Germany. We will continue to shape our policies according to our interests.
China is very concerned about the stability and security of the region. The foreign minister stressed that the Sino-Arab cooperation forum was not born today but dates back to 2004. Saudi Arabia is an active presence in the political arena. It has an important role in the world. The foreign minister added that economic development is the source of foreign policies.
