UAE Ambassador Congratulates China On 71st National Day, Reflects On Solid Relations

UAE Ambassador congratulates China on 71st National Day, reflects on solid relations

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 01st Oct, 2020) ABU DHABI, 1st October, 2020 (WAM) – UAE Ambassador to China has congratulated the People’s Republic on its 71st National Day, observed on October 1st.

Ali Obaid Ali Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China, has lauded the bilateral ties between the two friendly countries, which has reached the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership in all economic, commercial, cultural, political and diplomatic areas.

He also congratulated the Chinese leadership and people on the occasion of their 71st National Day, praising China’s major local and international achievements since that time.

Al Dhaheri congratulated the Chinese people for their success in the fight against COVID-19, noting that this global crisis was an opportunity to reinforce the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. He added that the UAE was among the first countries to support the Chinese people since the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, stating, "Different forms of material and moral support were provided to China by the UAE’s leadership and people, which was also an opportunity to enhance the cooperation between the two countries to include scientific research in the area of health, especially with regards to the clinical coronavirus vaccine trials."

The UAE was among the first countries to launch Phase III clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine, with major Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm he noted, adding that the results were very promising and the vaccine was officially adopted by the country for emergency cases and front-liners staff.

Al Dhaheri stressed that the many areas of bilateral cooperation between the UAE and China reflect the special nature of their relationship, whose foundations were established in 1990 during the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s historic visit to China. These relations were then enhanced by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and numerous mutual official visits took place resulting in many agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.

The UAE and China share historic relations built on solid foundations of cooperation that started on 3rd December, 1971, two days after the establishment of the country, when the late Sheikh Zayed sent a cable to Zhou Enlai, who was the then head of the Chinese Government.

In 2018, the visit to the UAE of Xi Jinping, President of China, also the first official visit of a Chinese President for 30 years, was a turning point in their bilateral relations and a new era of strategic partnership. In 2019, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visited China upon an invitation from President Xi.

The relations between the UAE and China have been characterised by cooperation and coordination on bilateral and regional levels in most issues and topics, under the framework of their strategic partnership agreement signed on 17th November, 2012.

The economic cooperation between the UAE and China is one of the cornerstones of their strategic partnership, with the UAE being part of the economic silk road that links markets representing 40 percent of global GDP.

In 2019, the value of trade between the UAE and China amounted to US$48.67 billion, marking a 6 per cent increase per annum, and 4,200 Chinese companies, 356 commercial agencies and over 2,500 trademarks are present in the UAE. Chinese foreign direct investment, FDI, in the UAE were valued at $6.44 billion in 2018 and 2019.

The solid ties between the two countries have led to significant growth in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the UAE. For example, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai in the last two years was nearly one million tourists per year. The Chinese community in the UAE has received both official and popular welcome, and the estimated number of Chinese residents in the country is over 270,000.