Crown Prince and Chinese president seek to strengthen bilateral ties in phone call

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman held telephone talks on Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

During the talks, they explored ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy; trade; and technology and issues related to climate change.

According to Xinhua, the Crown Prince described China as a trusted ally.

He said that Saudi Arabia is ready to strengthen the strategic interconnection between the Kingdom's Vision 2030; which aims to diversify its economy away from oil; and the Belt and Road Initiative, concerned with trade and infrastructure, launched by Chinese President Xi.

Meanwhile, the Chinese president expressed his desire to take the strategic partnership with Riyadh "to a new level."

Both leaders expressed their willingness to work jointly along with other members of the international community to build an equitable climate governance regime that is cooperative and beneficial to all.

They also called for concerted efforts to push for a comprehensive and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This is in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.