Op-Ed: UAE, China 13 agreements will build a key foundation for "Belt and Road" initiative.

The 13 cooperation agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, MoUs, across wide, fast and two-way corridors between the UAE and China have been described by economists as solid step toward a key foundation of comprehensive development and a way forward to the "Belt and Road" initiative. The move will indeed strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in the coming years.

In an Op-Ed, the Executive Director of the Emirates News Agency, WAM, Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, said that the significant message of the talks between both countries, as expressed by the Chinese media itself, was the concept of "priority". The Chinese President Xi Jinping visit highlights China's interest in developing relations with the UAE and the need to agree on a solid foundation for bilateral relations.

Al Rayssi pointed out that importance of 'priority' is based on several key facts and is vivid from the official statistics, which imply that the UAE is the largest export market for Chinese products making the country second-largest trading partner among Arab countries. UAE is the largest Arab country in terms of the number of investment projects in China, while China has maintained its position as the major trading partner of the UAE for many years.

The Chinese media also focused on the nature of Chinese-Emirati relations and its importance in safeguarding the security and stability of the Middle East, which is conducive to the continuation of effective cooperation between the two countries.

The agreements and MoUs which covered various aspects of cooperation, have clear messages at all development and political levels, reaffirming the success of the UAE and China in establishing an innovative model for a comprehensive partnership at international level. The partnership between the two countries, reflects an advanced vision for their future, through a comprehensive strategic long-term partnership that will lead to a stage full of economic, social, cultural, and scientific growth and prosperity, as affirmed by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The great achievements between the UAE and China have not been possible without the continuous efforts of the country's wise leadership to develop all sectors, making the country a role model in overall development and stability, and qualifies it to be a strategic partner for countries across the world, especially those that are keen to develop their future.

China's will for cooperation, its passion in building a society that enjoys common destiny of mankind, and the development of new long-term international relations, are all concepts that the country shared with the UAE, and it will strengthen their strategic partnership, and the signed agreements and MoUs between them is a real example, Al Rayssi wrote.

In conclusion, he said that the outcome of the UAE-China talks reflects the great care given by the UAE's leadership to ensure that the country is in line with the transitional period that the Gulf, the region and the whole world are experiencing, thus contributing to the opening of new avenues for its foreign relations with major nations.