Chinese Premier Li Qiang held talks with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Beijing on Monday, to discuss relations between their two countries.

At the talks, Li said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, China-UAE relations have kept deepening and developing, with the achievement of fruitful cooperation results in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries.

China stands ready to continue striving forward together with the UAE on the road of common development, increase communication and coordination, cement political mutual trust, and promote bilateral ties and cooperation in scaling new heights for more practical outcomes and better mutual benefits, Li said.

China is willing to work together with the UAE to consolidate the foundation for energy cooperation while further exploring the potential for cooperation in areas such as energy storage, hydrogen energy and new energy vehicles, Li said, urging efforts from both sides to create more growth drivers of trade to expand the scale and optimize the structure.

Noting the two countries hold broad prospects for cooperation in innovation-driven development, Li said China welcomes more investments from the UAE in artificial intelligence, digital economy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other fields. He said that the two sides can also enhance cooperation in areas such as connectivity and finance so as to constantly boost trade and investment facilitation.

Since the war on Iran broke out, China has been in close communication with the relevant parties and actively committed to promoting peace and ending the war, said the Chinese premier, noting that China is ready to further play a constructive role and contribute to the restoration of peace and tranquility in the Gulf region. He expressed the hope that the UAE will continue to take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in the UAE.

For his part, Khaled said that the UAE-China relationship enjoys strong growth momentum due to the foresights and strategic visions of the heads of state of the two countries, noting that the UAE sees developing ties with China as a high priority in its policy on external affairs, and is willing to work with China to increase high-level exchanges and expand cooperation in fields including the economy, trade and energy.

Khaled said that the UAE looks forward to China continuing to play an important role in promoting peace and security in the Middle East, and is willing to take all necessary measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese citizens in the country.

After the talks, Li and Khaled jointly witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents in fields including agriculture and science and technology.