China’s Vice President Han Zheng met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday in a bid to bolster bilateral ties between the two nations.
Soon after the meeting, China’s foreign ministry released a statement, quoting Han, that Beijing is willing to work with “Saudi Arabia to enhance high-level exchanges and support each other on issues of core interest.”
The meeting took place after Riyadh’s concerns over a flood of cheap Chinese imports undermining efforts to transition beyond oil to industrial manufacturing have held up talks between China and the Gulf states over a free trade agreement since 2024.
The two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral ties and focus on opportunities to enhance cooperation in various fields. According to the state news agency SPA, the two sides also discussed recent regional and global developments and the countries’ joint efforts to address them.
As per the report, the meeting between the two leaders took place on the third day of the ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference, which was hosted by Riyadh from October 30.
The event brought together more than 8,000 participants, including senior officials from around the world.


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