UAE Air Force Commander Meets Chinese Defense Minister In Beijing

Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, Major General Ibrahim Nasser Mohamed Al-Alawi, met Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister, General Li Shangfu, during an official visit to Beijing, China.

The meeting was held on Tuesday under the strategic guidance of the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, and his counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

General Shangfu shared that the UAE and China relationship has witnessed rapid, stable, and healthy development, noting that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and UAE's "Designing the Next 50" development plans are highly consistent with each other.

Chinese Defense Minister explained that the practical cooperation between the UAE and China has brought tangible benefits to the citizens of both nations.

He went on to share that China is looking forward to working with the UAE in order to implement the strategic consensus reached by the two heads of state to make the UAE and China relations into a state-to-state relation model.

General Shangfu said that under the directives of the two heads of state, the military relations of both countries have been fast-paced and the exchanges and cooperation in various fields have also shown positive results.

He concluded by saying that China is all set to further deepen its military cooperation with the UAE. Major General Ibrahim, on the other hand, also praised the mutual trust and brotherly friendship with China and stressed working together in various fields.

Aside from military cooperation, the UAE and China are also increasing their international trade and economic cooperation.

Earlier this month, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that the next China-Arab States Expo will be held from Sept. 21 to 24 in Yinchuan and the four-day event will be attended by the UAE alongside more Arab countries.

The China-Arab States Expo serves as an international trade and economic cooperation platform to enhance economic and cultural ties between China and Arab countries.

UAE and China have strong bilateral trade ties. China exported $46.4 billion worth of products including broadcasting equipment ($8.44B), computers ($3.14B), and vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins, and cultures ($1.1B), as of 2021 report by OEC.

The UAE, on the other hand, exported $22.8 billion worth of products including crude petroleum ($8.36B), petroleum gas ($2.92B), and broadcasting equipment ($2.24B). Talking about the latest report, in June this year, China exported worth $4.7 billion and imported $3.15 billion from the UAE.