The Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the People's Republic of China Dr Sultan bin Salmeen al-Mansouri said the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to China, will push the relations to a new phase of joint and constructive co-operation prospects, which benefits both countries.

Speaking exclusively to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Ambassador said HH the Amir will discuss in China the common issues of interest to both countries, to develop bilateral relations and how to push bilateral relations between the two countries to a stage of strategic partnership.

Al-Mansouri said there is harmony between both leaderships and they agree on many views. There will be a push for Qatari investments in China, as well as a discussion on economic topics related to clean energy, gas and other fields.

They will also discuss important and hot issues in the region, he said .

The Ambassador highlighted the importance of the visit of the Amir saying, it will be a historic event similar to His Highness' visit to China in 2014, which established a comprehensive strategic relation between Qatar and China.

The current visit will be complementary, motivating and uplifting to the co-operation between the two countries, he said.

The Ambassador said the Amir will meet the Chinese leadership to discuss and consult closely on the next phase of the strategic partnership between the two countries, where the agenda includes a meeting with the the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping which will include a round of talks between the two leaderships, in addition to a meeting with the Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang, where they will discuss the latest updates and bilateral relations between both countries.

The Amir will also meet with the chairman of the National People's Congress as well as other meetings that will be held on the sidelines of the visit with other Chinese officials.

He said more than seven very important agreements will be signed focusing on the strategic dialogue agreement that will open new horizons to develop bilateral relations between both countries, as the agreement was established with China in 2014.

The Ambassador said after the strategic dialogue agreement, an annual dialogue programme will be held between both countries, which will support many fields most prominently economy, education and culture, as well as bilateral relations between both countries.

Other agreements related to education, investment, culture and tourism will be signed.

His Excellency said the trade volume between both countries reached nearly $9bn in 2018.

The Ambassador pointed out that China is one of the largest countries in the world that relies on clean energy, gas, as there are 8.3mn tonnes of gas supplies exported annually to the Republic of China, which represents about 35% of the total volume of gas consumption and therefore the State of Qatar is the first source of gas to the Republic of China in this area.

The Qatari ambassador said that the priority in the relations between the two countries is the investment.

Qatar and China are in clear harmony on many issues."The two countries support each other, especially on international issues, and China has been an important friend of the Arabs and the State of Qatar, and we are very proud of this relationship, but we always say that achievements are always less than ambitions and therefore our ambition is greater in the development of these bilateral relations," he said.

On China's position on the Gulf crisis and the blockade imposed on Qatar, the Ambassador said that China is firmly in its position from the beginning of the crisis, it remains neutral and calls on all parties to dialogue and to resolve issues and not to engage in any clashes or obstacles that harm the people.

He added that China is against the principle of the blockade in general and against any interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

During this crisis, China opened all ports to the State of Qatar. In 2017, two direct routes were opened from Port of Shanghai and Port of Guangzhou to Hamad Port in Qatar.

In the near future, there will also be other routes with China, which will contribute effectively to the flow of goods and commodities directly from the Republic of China to the State of Qatar.

On the initiative of China, known as the "Belt and Road Initiative", the Qatari Ambassador in Beijing said that Qatar was one of the first countries to support this initiative when it was launched in 2013.

During the visit of the Amir to China in 2014, he signed an agreement with China to co-operate and join the initiative.

The Ambassador added that Qatar will not be a transit point in this initiative, but will be an important one and for establishing greater co-operation.

Qatar has been involved in all the mechanisms that came within this initiative such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as well as all agreements signed within this initiative..

Qatar also established Renminbi Clearing Centre in Qatar to strengthen commercial and economic ties between China and the Mena region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar has instructed that there be a national committee to follow up the "Belt and Road" initiative in co-operation with the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China, which will contribute to a joint and strong co-operation between the two sides to develop projects that serve the two countries.

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