Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said the kingdom was ready to meet rising energy demand from China, state news agency SPA reported on Friday.

“The Kingdom is ready to fulfil the rising energy demand in China in the coming decades,” the SPA quoted Falih as stating.

Falih made his comments during meetings with leading Chinese energy industry officials, the SPA said.

The minister was on an official visit to China earlier this week when several energy agreements were signed.

Saudi Aramco also signed a strategic partnership agreement with China’s CNPC during the visit with a view to cooperating on investments in refining, marketing and project developments, the SPA said.

The agreement would include Aramco’s ownership of shares in the refining business and retail sales of CNPC, it said.

His comments come after Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Wednesday in Beijing.

During their meeting, President Xi and Prince Mohammad reviewed Saudi-China “bilateral relations and achievements, and ways to further develop the strategic cooperation between the two countries in addition to the events discussed the latest regional and international issues of common concern,” said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The Chinese leader also hosted a dinner for Prince Mohammad and his accompanying delegation.

Earlier in the day, Prince Mohammad, who is also second deputy premier and minister of defence, also met with a group of officials of the most important Chinese companies.

The companies included ZTE, Huawei, Chinese Aluminum (Chalco), the region’s economic and technological development in Tianjin (TEDA), Chinese Company for Construction and Communications (CCCC), China Company for Building Railways, Chinese Mining Company, China National Chemicals Institution (Kim China, POLY, NORINCO, CEIEC, AVIC, CATIC, CASIC, CPMIEC, and ALIT.

During the meeting, they reviewed investment opportunities in the Kingdom, the areas of partnership according to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and existing and future projects of the companies in the Kingdom.

The deputy crown prince also met with a group of Saudi students studying in Chinese universities.

He expressed his pleasure to meet with them, hoping that they “return with sufficient scientific outcome to serve the homeland, participate in further enhancement of development being witnessed by the Kingdom and be the honourable face of the homeland during their studies in the friendly country of China.”

During the meeting, they exchanged conversations and opinions about a number of topics of interest to Saudi youths.

Prince Mohammad tour also included Japan and Pakistan.

He was to return to China on Sunday to chair Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the September 4-5 summit of leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies in the eastern city of Hangzhou.