Relations between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have been growing in recent years. As the world's biggest energy consumer, China has been a major trade partner for the GCC oil and gas producers. But as our reporter Lu Sirui reports, relations are expanding into other areas.

China became the largest trading partner of the GCC in 2020. Its trade volume with the GCC reached about US$180 billion, accounting for more than 11% of the GCC's total foreign trade.

China is also the largest export destination for GCC petro-chemicals, accounting for more than 25% of the total exports of related products.

LIU DONG, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, CASS "Their relationship has been close, partly because they share common interests. The GCC countries want to diversify their economies, but they still depend on energy trade and China needs stable supplies of crude oil to power its economy."

But it's more than oil. 

The vaccine cooperation among China, UAE and Bahrain has covered more than 44-thousand people in the region. There has also been cooperation in telecommunications, artificial intelligence and smart cities.

LIU DONG, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, CASS "The GCC countries are always open to all opportunities for cooperation. And China as always, does not interfere in other countries' domestic issues. So, the two sides always respect each other and treat each other equally. That's why their relations have been able to last and grow."

LU SIRUI, Beijing "China and GCC countries have now agreed to work towards reaching a free trade agreement for which they started negotiations in 2004. Experts say this would further strengthen their trade relations and inject new vitality into their strategic partnership. Lu Sirui, CGTN, Beijing."