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China takes Qatar key partner for belt and road initiative: FM

Xinhua, May 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that China takes Qatar as a key partner to promote the "Belt and Road" initiative.

He made the remarks while meeting with Qatar's head of state, Emir H H Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, one day ahead of the seventh ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF).

During that talks, Wang said that bonding the initiative with Qatar's National Vision 2030 can usher in an even brighter future for bilateral pragmatic cooperation between the two.

As a strategic framework of the cooperation between China and the Arab world, the "Belt and Road" initiative refers to the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road," infrastructure and trade networks put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

The initiative also shares common cooperative opportunities with the Qatar National Vision 2030, a roadmap for future development launched by Qatari government in 2008.

"China would like to further promote our bilateral cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, energy, productivity, finance, help Qatar to improve its independent development capacity, and further coordinate with Qatar over political solutions to the hot issues in this region," said Wang.

For his part, the Qatari emir said his country appreciates China's role in its cooperation with the Arab countries and attaches great importance to the belt and road initiative, pledging to support China over its positions on sovereignty-related issues.

The Qatari leader also hoped to have stronger cooperation with China in all fields, and pledged to play an active part in the belt and road initiative.

Also on Wednesday, Wang met in a separate meeting wirh Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani.

China hopes to maintain the high-level exchanges with Qatar and enrich our bilateral relations, Wang told his counterpart, stressing that Beijing will encourage Chinese companies to play an active role in Qatar's infrastructure construction.

Wang also said that China would like to maintain its communication and cooperation with Qatar in both international and regional affairs.

The Qatari foreign minister said the his government will take every effort to facilitate Chinese companies' operation and investments in his country and support China's positive role in major regional and international issues of common concern.

Under the theme of "Jointly Building 'Belt and Road' to Deepen Strategic Cooperation," the seventh CASCF ministerial conference will be held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on May 12. Endit