*His Highness the Amir arrives in Beijing

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on a two-day state visit to China.

He was received at the Beijing International Airport by Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister for Middle East Affairs Chen Xiaodong, Qatar’s ambassador to China Sultan bin Salmeen al-Mansouri, Chinese ambassador to Qatar Li Chen and members of the Qatari embassy in Beijing.

The Amir arrived in Beijing on the last leg of a three-nation tour which also took him to South Korea and Japan. He held talks with the leaders of the two countries and witnessed the signing of several agreements.

Ahead of his arrival in Beijing, the ambassadors of China and Qatar said the Amir’s visit will play a key role in enriching the strategic bilateral ties and will enhance co-operation between the two countries in all fields.

The Chinese ambassador said there is a strong will from the leadership of both sides to enhance strategic ties. The two sides will hold talks to enhance their strategic partnership and co-operation in all fields. They will also discuss a number of regional and international issues of joint interest, in addition to signing a number of agreements on the sidelines of the Qatari-Chinese Business Forum.

The ambassador highlighted the historic ties between the two countries, saying they just celebrated 30 years of establishing diplomatic ties. He added that friendship between the Chinese and Qatari peoples date back to more than a thousand years.

Li said the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1988 paved the way for the beginning of a new era of relations in terms of equality, mutual respect, understanding, mutual support and sincere co-operation. He added that over the past 30 years, under the patronage and support of the two leaders at various stages, the friendly relations between China and Qatar have witnessed rapid development. He noted that the two countries’ support of one another on fundamental issues increases mutual political trust.

The ambassador added that, at the level of international co-operation, China and Qatar are keen to co-ordinate, co-operate and work to maintain peace and stability at the regional and international levels.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s ambassador to China al-Mansouri said the Amir’s visit will push the relations to a new phase of joint and constructive co-operation, which will benefit both countries.

The ambassador said the Amir will discuss in China the issues of interest to both countries, to develop bilateral relations and how to push bilateral relations to a stage of strategic partnership.

Al-Mansouri said there is harmony between leaderships of the two countries and they agree on common views. There will be a push for Qatari investments in China, as well as a discussion on economic topics related to clean energy, gas and other fields. They will also discuss important issues in the region.

The ambassador highlighted the importance of Amir’s visit similar to his visit to China in 2014, which established a comprehensive strategic relation between the two countries.

He said the Amir will discuss with the Chinese leadership the next phase of the strategic partnership.

The Amir will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a meeting with the Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang. He will also meet with Chairman of National People's Congress as well as hold other meetings that will be held on the sidelines of the visit with other Chinese officials.

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