Jeddah: Saudi Foreign Minister Amir Faisal bin Farhan said that cooperation with China does not mean non-cooperation with the United States. At the end of the Arab-Chinese summit, the policy was clarified in a press conference held with the Arab League State Secretary General Ahmed Abulgheit and the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Naif Al Hajraf.
The Arab-Chinese summit highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Arab countries and China. The Foreign Minister said that the cooperation with China will face many challenges.
Cooperation with the second largest economy is required. But this does not mean non-cooperation with the first economy. The country has common interests with China and the United States. We will continue to work to achieve them. We negotiated a free trade agreement between China and the GCC countries. The foreign minister explained that communication with China is an extension of regular communication with all countries of the world. The focus is on qualitative decisions that support areas of economic development with China.
Saudi Arabia is not intervening through one path. We are open to everyone. We believe in multilateral cooperation. The relationship with China goes deeper than the issue of arms. The foreign minister also said that Saudi Arabia has strategic partnership with America, India, China, Japan and Germany. We will continue to shape our policies according to our interests.
China is very concerned about the stability and security of the region. The Foreign Minister pointed out that the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum was not born today but dates back to 2004. Saudi Arabia is an active presence in the political arena. It has an important role in the world. The foreign minister added that economic development is the source of foreign policies.