RIYADH: The Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia hosted a reception at the Palace of Culture in Riyadh on Wednesday to mark the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army.
“We would like to use this opportunity to celebrate not only our history, but also the history of military and security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China,” said Zhu Je, the armed defense attaché at the Chinese embassy.
In an interview with Arab News, Zhu recalled the visit of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to Beijing in June, where he met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.
Zhu described the meeting between the two ministers as “a milestone in the new era.”
He told Arab News: “This is the first time he is visiting China to meet the Chinese Defense Minister and also the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
“The ministers decided to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the defense and military fields, strengthen strategic communication between the leaders and take relations to a higher level.”
The Defense Attaché stressed the importance of the meeting, during which Prince Khalid and his Chinese counterpart discussed Saudi-Chinese relations and ways to strengthen ties.
The People's Liberation Army's anniversary reception welcomed defense officials and ambassadors stationed in the Kingdom.
Chinese Ambassador Chang Hua co-hosted the event with Zhu and welcomed guests to the reception.
Zhu delivered the opening speech and emphasized the “strategic friendly cooperation” between the defense ministries of the Kingdom and China.
“China firmly supports Saudi Arabia in strengthening its strategic capabilities to safeguard its national security and firmly opposes any external interference in the Kingdom's internal affairs,” he said.
China aims to “promote reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran and unity among the Palestinian parties to support Saudi Arabia's efforts to maintain stability, restore peace and protect civilians in the region and the world,” he added.
Zhu thanked the kingdom for its support and said: “I once again express our sincere gratitude and respect to the leaders, government, armed forces, security forces and people of Saudi Arabia.”
He also praised the Saudi Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior, as well as the National Guard and his embassy colleagues.
