ABU DHABI // The UAE’s relationship with China will be rewritten during the three-day visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, starting on Sunday.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, said on Wednesday that a range of agreements in finance, investment, logistics, energy, education and technology would be signed during the visit by Sheikh Mohammed, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The Crown Prince will meet president Xi Jinping and senior officials in his third trip to the country.
“This visit comes at a critical time,” Dr Al Jaber said. “The UAE and China have been able to establish a very strong, deeply rooted relationship, well founded in areas like political, economic, trade, military and security.
“This visit will act as a paradigm shift in this whole relationship and a new platform where we will all give it our best efforts to help enhance it, while we engage in identifying and creating new avenues and cooperation areas.”
He said deeper involvement with China would further contribute to the UAE’s economic development and open investment opportunities in areas including renewable energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, rail, aerospace and finance.
“Our main aim through this visit is to ensure that we elevate the common economic and political interests across the visit’s agenda,” Dr Al Jaber said.
“It will provide a vital opportunity to build on mutual interests … which will allow for long-term stability, security and prosperity in the broader region. Bilateral trade in 1984 was about US$63 million [Dh231.4m].
“The current figures for 2015 stand at around $54.8 billion, and trade has increased by 16 per cent annually for the past six years. With 4,200 Chinese companies registered in the UAE, the country is the largest Middle East market for Chinese products.”
He said the aim of the visit was to “enhance such numbers, increase them and create new avenues for cooperation that will allow for this relationship to be expanded strategically, benefit both countries and creating a positive spillover on the regional economy”.
Last April, the UAE became a founding partner of the Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank.
“We are a big and key supporter of the One Belt, One Road strategy,” Dr Al Jaber said. “It is China’s primary foreign and domestic growth policy vehicle that focuses on facilitating trade, investment and diplomatic ties in central Asia.
“We find the UAE to be a natural partner for this very important initiative.”
He said it would have a direct impact on improving economic and trade ties across Asia. “In our view, it is comprehensive, holistic in its nature, progressive, inclusive and we are a committed partner to it,” he said. “The UAE-China relationship is extremely high on our agenda from a political, economic and strategic point of view.”
China relies on the Middle East for its oil imports and energy, making regional stability a concern for Beijing.
“I am confident that this visit will be useful for both sides to further connect their development strategies and make achievements in friendly cooperation,” said Chang Hua, China’s ambassador to the UAE.
“China has long viewed the UAE as a major partner for cooperation in the Middle East and the Gulf. Bilateral trade hit a new high and our cooperation in energy, finance and investment projects has been fruitful.”
Dr Theodore Karasik, a geopolitical analyst, said the UAE’s position at the crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa made it extremely important to China.
“Given that the UAE is at the centre of Beijing’s plans for economic expansion and growth, it’s only natural that the leadership of the UAE would be visiting Beijing at this time,” Dr Karasik said.
He said talks on security would be important, as China is increasing its presence and interest in affairs in the Levant and the GCC.
cmalek@thenational.ae
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDamian%20Szifron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Ben%20Mendelsohn%2C%20Ralph%20Ineson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The years Ramadan fell in May
Match info
Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')
Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The five pillars of Islam
Read more about the coronavirus
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
