China and Bahrain reaffirmed on Friday their support for each other on issues concerning core interests, and agreed to expand cooperation in various areas and push for more results in Belt and Road cooperation, as President Xi Jinping met with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Beijing.
The two heads of state also announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Calling the Arab nation “a good friend and partner of China in the Gulf region”, Xi spoke positively of the steady and healthy development of China-Bahrain relations in recent years, saying that it has brought concrete benefits to the two peoples.
China is now one of Bahrain’s five largest trading partners, with the volume of non-oil bilateral trade exceeding $2.1 billion in 2023, according to the Foreign Ministry.
King Hamad, who attended the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum on Thursday, is paying a state visit to China from Tuesday to Saturday. His visit also coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202406/01/WS665a60faa31082fc043ca55c.html