Xi departs for visits to five Arab, African nations and the BRICS summit

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03:51

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on Thursday for visits to five Arab, African nations and the BRICS summit, one to the Middle East and the following four to Africa, marking his first foreign visits since his March re-election.

Xi will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed by trips to Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa from July 19 to 24, and he will attend the 10th BRICS summit from July 25 to 27 in Johannesburg.

He’ll also pay a friendly visit to Mauritius during a stopover on his way back to China.

Exclusive video:

UAE guard of honor and military band prepare to welcome President Xi

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First stop: UAE

The UAE is President Xi's first stop.

Xi's visit to the UAE will be the first by a Chinese head of state in 29 years.

He is scheduled to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

'Work together, create a better future'

"The UAE is the first Arab state I will visit since I was re-elected as Chinese president in March, I wish to promote the relations between China and the UAE during this visit," Chinese President Xi Jinping made the remarks in his article "Work together, create a better future" which was published in UAE newspapers on Wednesday.

Xi vows to work with the leaders of the UAE to build a blueprint for cooperation and to construct the community of common destiny with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Exclusive video:

UAE Presidential Palace prepares for President Xi’s visit

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Bilateral cooperation

China and the UAE established diplomatic ties in 1984 and the two nations have both created miracles in development during the past 34 years.

The UAE is China's second largest trade partner and the largest export market for Chinese goods among Arab countries, while China has been the largest trade partner of the UAE for many consecutive years.

The UAE is also one of the first countries to embrace the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and also a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).