At the invitation of the Qatari government, Yin Li, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, led a CPC delegation to Qatar from September 18 to 20. He met with Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, Director of the Office of Qatar’s Prime Minister and Deputy Chairperson of Qatar Tourism; Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al-Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Investment Authority and Governor of the Qatar Central Bank; Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Municipality; and Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatar Free Zones Authority, among others.
Yin stated that under the guidance of President Xi Jinping and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have been expanded in various fields. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Qatar, as well as the 15th anniversary of the sister city ties between Beijing and Doha. China is willing to seize this opportunity to bring the China-Qatar, China-GCC, and China-Arab relations to a higher level by implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state, as well as the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit, and strengthening exchanges and mutual learning on the state governance philosophies. Beijing is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Qatar, especially Doha, in such fields as culture, tourism, and investment, so as to contribute to the development of China-Qatar relations.
The Qatari leadership places great importance on its relations with China and considers China a strategic partner, according to Tamim. In recent years, the mutual political trust between the two countries has been cemented, resulting in mutual support on multilateral occasions, and close exchanges in fields of economy and trade, culture, and sports. Qatar is willing to further align its development strategies with China, extend participation in the Belt and Road initiative, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation on modernization between the two capitals, thus further advancing the Qatar-China strategic partnership.
In light of Beijing's efforts to become a cultural center and a center for international exchanges, Yin also visited the Lusail Stadium, National Museum of Qatar, and Katara Cultural Park, and attended the ""Hello, Beijing" Photography Exhibition and other events.
(Written by Wang Qiang)
