China is ready to work with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to jointly promote new progress in bilateral practical cooperation, Vice Premier Hu Chunhua has said.

Hu made the remarks on Sunday during his meeting with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE deputy prime minister and minister of presidential affairs, in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

Hu first asked Sheikh Mansour to convey cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before briefing him on the great achievements and far-reaching significance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Since the beginning of this year, President Xi and President Sheikh Mohamed have met with each other and talked over the phone, reaching broad consensus on deepening all-round cooperation between the two countries, he said.

The first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit were successfully held, achieving fruitful results, Hu said.

China, he said, is willing to work with the UAE to follow through on the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and strive to make new progress in bilateral ties and practical cooperation.

China is ready to work with the UAE to consolidate political mutual trust, synergize their development strategies, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in new and renewable energy spheres on top of consolidating traditional energy cooperation, create new highlights in high-tech cooperation, and further strengthen cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Chinese vice premier.

For his part, Sheikh Mansour said that the UAE always attaches great importance to developing relations with China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.

The UAE is ready to deepen cooperation with China in the fields of economy and trade, energy, investment, industry, science and technology, education, people-to-people exchanges, and health care, and further strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, so as to continuously enrich the China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

(Cover: The Chinese pavillon at the Dubai Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 1, 2021. /CFP)