Beijing hopes crown prince's visit will advance China-UAE ties

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China hopes to work with the United Arab Emirates to make fresh progress in bilateral relations and better benefit the peoples of the two countries.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, is on a three-day visit to China through Tuesday.

Guo said that Chinese leaders will meet and hold talks with Al Nahyan in what is his first visit to China as crown prince, where they will discuss bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

Calling the UAE a comprehensive strategic partner of China, Guo said political mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen in recent years, while practical cooperation has advanced steadily and people-to-people exchanges have increased, bringing benefits to both peoples.