On the afternoon of February 5, 2022, at the Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping met with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Xi Jinping pointed out that recent years have witnessed rapid and in-depth development of China-Qatar relations. The practical cooperation between the two countries has grown despite the impact of COVID-19, with fruitful outcomes of cooperation in energy, infrastructure and other fields. Currently, the development of China-Qatar relations is facing new opportunities. China stands ready to work with Qatar to advance the China-Qatar strategic partnership to a new level.
Xi Jinping stressed that China and Qatar should firmly support each other. China will, as always, support Qatar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, security and stability, and independently exploring development paths suited to its national conditions. China supports Qatar in advancing Qatar National Vision 2030, and stands ready to carry out cooperation with Qatar in building the Belt and Road Initiative and implementing the Global Development Initiative, expand practical cooperation in such fields as energy and infrastructure, build a long-term and stable energy cooperation relationship, and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and start business in Qatar to actively participate in the construction of infrastructure and free zone in Qatar. China welcomes Qatar to step up its investment in China. The two sides should deepen cooperation in counter-terrorism and other fields, and people-to-people exchanges. China supports Qatar in hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the 2030 Asian Games, and is willing to launch the first panda cooperation project in the Middle East with Qatar. China hopes that Qatar keeps playing a positive role in promoting the conclusion of the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement at an early date.
Tamim said, I attended the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, and was delighted to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. I believe that the Beijing Winter Olympics is bound to be a successful great Games. I would like to congratulate China on its extraordinary response to the pandemic. This is the result of the determination and efforts of the Chinese government and people. As Qatar-China relations are strong and in-depth, Qatar feels satisfied with the historic achievements in Qatar-China relations, and will keep firmly supporting China in safeguarding its sovereignty and security. Qatar welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Qatar, and is willing to deepen cooperation with China in energy, infrastructure and other fields, actively advance Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen communication and cooperation in education, sports and people-to-people exchanges for greater progress in bilateral relations. Qatar stands ready to play an active role in deepening GCC-China cooperative relations.
Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and others were present at the meeting.