The UAE aims to

restore the ancient Silk Road connecting the Middle East with Asia, it

announced as Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the

Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived in China for an

official visit this week.

Sheikh Mohamed

arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a three-day visit at the invitation of China’s

President Xi Jinping. He will attend a series of meetings intended to promote

friendly bilateral relations between the countries, and discuss issues of

regional and international importance, according to state news agency WAM.

In a statement,

Sheikh Mohamed said that strengthening relations with China is a key strategic

aim of the UAE – with two-way trade exceeding $55 billion during the 2004-2014

since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

However, His

Highness said that there are common ambitions for further developing those ties

in the coming years, for example by restoring the Silk Road trading route.

Emirates247

quoted Arabic daily Al Ittihad, which said in a front page editorial: “The UAE,

China’s largest trading partner in the region, wants this strong relationship

to continue and to restore the Silk Road between the region and China not only

commercially but culturally, scientifically and technologically.

“In our region,

we need to join China in restoring the Silk Road so it will be a platform and a

bridge for exchange in all fields in order to promote common understanding and

develop commercial, economic and social links.”

The UAE’s

geographical location and “attractive investment incentives” provide real scope

to do this, the editorial added.