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Xi Jinping meets Saudi King, crown prince WATCH VIDEO Source: CCTV.com 06-22-2008 08:50 Vice President Xi Jinping says China places great importance on its relations with Saudi Arabia. He also says China regards the country as a close friend and partner. He made the remarks while meeting with Saudi Arabian leaders in Jeddah on Saturday. Vice President Xi Jinping met with King Abdullah bin Abdul-Azizi Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Xi said since the heads of state of the two countries exchanged visits in 2006, the two sides have witnessed the smooth development of bilateral links in an all-round way. He said China is willing to join efforts with Saudi Arabia to continuously reinforce and expand friendly and cooperative relations. King Abdullah said Saudi Arabia and China are true friends, noting that relations between the two countries enjoy a solid base. He told Xi that Saudi Arabia is ready to maintain high-level contacts with China and strengthen exchange and cooperation in all fields. Xi Jinping thanked King Abdullah for his support and assistance to China after the massive May 12th earthquake. He said Saudi Arabia's concern reflects the deep feelings of friendship the Saudi King and people have toward the Chinese people. China will use the funds donated by Saudi Arabia to build schools and hospitals in quake-hit areas. On the same day, the Chinese vice president also held talks with Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud. During the talks, Xi put forward a number of suggestions to advance Sino-Saudi relations. He hopes the two countries will strengthen mutual support and cooperation relating to regional and international affairs. The vice president also said the two sides should expand cooperation in various fields. Especially in areas related to economy, trade and energy. He also recommended enhanced cultural exchanges between the two peoples. The Crown Prince said the two nations should give full play to the role of the mixed committee of trade and economy. And aim to accelerate cooperation in economy, trade, energy, science and technology and culture. After their meeting, the two signed a China-Saudi Arabia joint statement on strengthening cooperative and strategic friendly relations. The statement promotes stepped up bilateral exchanges and cooperation in politics, economy, trade and regional and international affairs. They also witnessed the signing of an agreement between the two governments to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure construction. Editor:Xiong Qu Background: Cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia Source: CCTV.com 06-22-2008 08:50 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is situated on the Arabian Peninsula, facing the Persian Gulf in the east and the Red Sea in the west. The country borders Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen. Saudi Arabia has a total landmass of 2.25 million square kilometers, with a population of more than 22 million. It has 13 provinces. Riyadh is the capital. The Kingdom is the cradle of Islam. Mecca, where Prophet Mohammed was born, is Islam's first holy site. Every year, millions of Muslims from around the world make a pilgrimage there. Saudi Arabia is a leading producer of oil and natural gas. It holds more than 20 percent of the world's proven oil reserves. China forged diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia in 1990. Bilateral relations since then have developed steadily, with regular exchanges at various levels. And the areas of bilateral cooperation have expanded. In January 2006, the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, visited China -- the first visit of a Saudi king to China since the establishment of diplomatic ties. Three months later, Chinese President, Hu Jintao, paid a reciprocal visit to Saudi Arabia. Both sides reached consensus on pushing forward the development of bilateral strategic friendship and cooperation. Sino-Saudi trade and energy cooperation has also developed rapidly. The bilateral trade volume hit more than 20 billion US dollars in 2006, a year-on-year increase of 25 percent. And in the first half of 2007, the volume reached almost 11 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of over 13 percent.