The meeting took place at Zabeel Palace in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group; Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Head of the honorary delegation accompanying the Chinese premier; Omar Ahmed Nassib Al-Bitar, UAE Ambassador to China, as well as a number of other senior officials.
Sheikh Mohammed welcomed his Chinese counterpart and described his visit to the UAE as a "historic milestone that reflects the deep-rooted ties between the leadership and peoples of the two countries." He praised the efforts of Chinese companies based in the UAE, as well as members of the Chinese community who are actively contributing to the development and progress of the UAE.
For his part, Wen Jiabao said he was pleased to visit the UAE and meet the officials here. He added that his country attaches great importance to its relations with the UAE, which are based on mutual respect and the desire to build a true strategic partnership. He referred to his tour of the Dragon Mart in Dubai, where he met with scores of members of the Chinese community and urged them to appreciate the hospitable, secure, and tolerant environment in the UAE and to make use of the facilities offered here to further boost trade and economic cooperation between the UAE and China.
Sheikh Mohammed and Jiabao attended a signing ceremony during which a visa waiver Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, under which holders of diplomatic and special passports are exempted from visa requirements to enter the two countries. The MoU was signed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. They also signed a second MoU on cooperation in the fields of sports.
Sheikh Mohammed and Jiabao viewed a model of the ambitious AED 2 billion Phoenix Development, a Chinese commercial center that includes an integrated residential complex, a five-star hotel, a commercial zone, and world-class service facilities.
WAM/AB WAM 1757 2012/01/17 END