UAE foreign minister on official visit to Beijing

May 09, 2017

published: 2017-05-07 11:14:16 (2 May 2017) LEADIN: United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met with his Chinese counterpart during an official visit to Beijing. The government officials put radicalisation in the Middle East and trade between the two countries at the top of their agenda. STORYLINE: It’s a warm and cordial meeting between the two ministers. Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and China’s foreign minister Wang Yi are comfortable in front of the cameras as they pose for photographs. This official visit by the UAE government minister is aimed at boosting relations between the two countries. The men sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a committee for cooperation between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of the UAE. At a press conference, the situation in the Middle East can’t be ignored. Wang Yi says China “stands ready to work with the UAE and other parties to participate in the international cooperation against terrorism”. But this is also a visit centred on business links. The sheikh notes trade between the UAE and China has topped 50 billion US dollars. “We very much see that our relationship can even go forward, especially looking at the UAE as not only the second largest market in the Middle East, but the centre of logistics, finance and trade for the region,” he says.

The UAE is a distribution hub for Chinese exports entering the Middle East.