Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (right) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manama, Bahrain, March 29, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
MANAMA – Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to enhance cooperation to further strengthen their relationship during their meeting here Monday.
China cherishes its traditional friendship with Bahrain and is willing to work with the kingdom to carry forward the fine tradition of mutual trust, support and respect between the two countries, as well as jointly safeguard the legitimate interests of the two sides, the development rights of developing countries, and world peace and stability, Wang said.
Noting that non-interference in other countries' internal affairs is a basic norm in international relations, Wang Yi said countries across the world should first and foremost put their own house in order
Wang said that China hopes the two sides will enhance the synergy between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in infrastructure construction, big data, e-commerce and other fields, so as to contribute to the upgrading of Bahrain's economy.
China appreciates His Royal Highness Prince's personal participation in China's vaccine clinical trials, and stands ready to continue to advance vaccine cooperation with Bahrain and to provide support and assistance within its capacity in Bahrain's fight against the epidemic, he noted.
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Against the backdrop that the world today is entering a period of turbulence and change, joint cooperation among various countries is essential for maintaining world peace and stability, Wang said.
Wang said that China appreciates Bahrain's consistent and firm support for China on issues concerning China's core interests, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Bahrain in political, economic and trade, cultural and other fields, so as to promote the friendly and cooperative relations between the two sides to advance with the times, benefit the two peoples, and boost regional peace and development.
China, to the best of its ability, will continue to provide support and assistance to Bahrain in its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, Wang added.
Noting that the current tendency of politicizing the human rights issue deserves high vigilance, Wang pointed out that some Western countries frequently use human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and undermine their stability, which in fact violates the value of human rights.
China, to the best of its ability, will continue to provide support and assistance to Bahrain in its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, Wang added
Noting that non-interference in other countries' internal affairs is a basic norm in international relations, he said that China has always advocated equality among all countries regardless of their size and that countries across the world should first and foremost put their own house in order.
Multilateralism is the cornerstone of world peace and stability, the foundation of international rule of law, and also a guarantee for the survival of small and medium-sized countries, he added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again taught us that the destinies of all countries are closely related, said the foreign minister.
Beyond different social systems, ideologies and cultural backgrounds, countries worldwide should work together to build a good earth home on which we depend for survival, and join hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.
Bahrainian King Hamad asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Xi and said that Bahrain and China have established sound mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in bilateral cooperation, which has strongly supported Bahrain's development, and for which the kingdom is very grateful.
Bahrain wishes to push for further in-depth development of bilateral relations on the current basis and holds a positive attitude towards strengthening cooperation with China in political, economic and other fields
Bahrain wishes to push for further in-depth development of bilateral relations on the current basis and holds a positive attitude towards strengthening cooperation with China in political, economic and other fields, the king added.
For his part, Salman said that Bahrain-China relations have made great progress in recent years. The kingdom sincerely appreciates China's strong support in its fight against the epidemic, the crown prince said, adding that he feels very proud to participate in the international Phase III clinical trial of China's COVID-19 vaccine.
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"The Chinese vaccine has demonstrated sufficient safety and efficacy, which has not only protected people's lives and health, but also greatly enhanced Bahraini people's understanding of and goodwill towards China. Bahrain hopes to continue to promote vaccine cooperation with China," he added.
Bahrain is willing to keep closer exchanges and visits with China at all levels, deepen cooperation in various fields including energy, infrastructure construction and high technology, in order to push the friendly cooperative bilateral relations to a new level, said the crown prince.