Xi backs closer Qatar cooperation

Infrastructure, high-tech, energy, investment cited as important areas

China and Qatar should enhance cooperation comprehensively in four major areas — energy, infrastructure construction, high technology and investment, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi made the remark while meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two leaders witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents by China and Qatar.

The two countries should further connect their development strategies and jointly build the Belt and Road, Xi said.

The president pointed out that China and Qatar have established a framework of cooperation covering such areas as oil and gas, infrastructure, finance and investment.

China supports Qatar’s exploration of a development path that fits its own national situation, and it appreciates Qatar’s stance on upholding the one-China policy, Xi said.

China would like to enhance communication with Qatar and deepen mutual political trust, Xi said. The president expressed gratitude for Qatar’s firm support on issues related to China’s core interests.

The two countries should strengthen communications and share experiences regarding international cooperation on anti-terrorism and anti-extremism issues, Xi said.

Xi called for joint efforts to further boost people-to-people exchanges and support each other in hosting the Winter Olympic Games in China and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Regional cooperation and stability is the basis for the prosperity of the Gulf region, Xi said, adding that China supports the Arabic countries of the Gulf region in their handling of disagreements properly through political and diplomatic manners.

In the talks, Xi mentioned Tamim’s state visit to China in 2014, when the two countries announced their intention to build a strategic partnership. It is pleasing to see that the consensuses reached by the two leaders in 2014 have been implemented and have brought real benefits to the people of both sides, Xi said.

Tamim said that Qatar expects to strengthen cooperation with China in a wide range of fields, including energy, investment, science and infrastructure construction.

Noting that Qatar and China are strategic partners, Tamim said that the friendly relationship between the two countries has developed rapidly in recent years.

Qatar has full confidence in China’s economy, and it is one of the countries that supported the Belt and Road Initiative from the beginning, he said.

Chinese companies are welcome to invest in Qatar, he said, adding that Qatar is dedicated to increasing exchanges in culture, tourism and media with China.

Qatar appreciates China’s role in multilateral affairs and its constructive stance on the problems of the Middle East and Gulf region, he added.

Premier Li Keqiang also met with Tamim in Beijing on Thursday.