Chinese FM holds phone talks with Saudi counterpart

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Monday held phone talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

During the talks, Qin said President Xi Jinping's recent presence at the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, and his state visit to Saudi Arabia have scored complete success, making it a new milestone in the history of China-Saudi Arabia, China-GCC and China-Arab relations, adding that China is willing to work with Saudi Arabia to implement the outcomes of the summits and promote their relations to new levels.

China highly appreciates Saudi Arabia's consistent and firm support on issues concerning China's core interests and stands ready to work with Saudi Arabia to uphold non-interference in internal affairs and other basic norms of international relations, Qin noted.

He said the two sides should further expand cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, energy, infrastructure, investment, finance and high-tech, increase communication and coordination, make every effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, continuously strengthen the China-GCC strategic partnership and build a China-GCC free trade zone as soon as possible.

China is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Saudi Arabia in regional and international affairs, jointly promote regional peace and stability, and better safeguard the common interests of the vast developing countries, Qin said.

Faisal said Saudi Arabia regards its relations with China as an important cornerstone of its foreign relations and is willing to work with China to implement the outcomes of the summits, take joint actions, deepen cooperation in various fields, promote further development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and China, and safeguard the common interests of the two countries.

Saudi Arabia fully adheres to the one-China principle and firmly opposes the politicization of human rights issues, Faisal said, noting that his country is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China and jointly uphold the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs.