DOHA: Ambassador of China to Qatar, Li Chen, said that the number of Chinese tourists who visited Doha in 2017 reached nearly 45,000, an increase by 26 percent compared to the year before.

He said that volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached about QR10bn last year, rising by 35 percent compared to the previous year. Chinese Ambassador was speaking at a press conference, held yesterday as part of the preparations of the Chinese Embassy in Doha to celebrate the 30th  anniversary of the establishment of the Qatari-Chinese relations next Wednesday.

Ambassador Chen expected rising numbers of Chinese tourists to Doha in light of the effective efforts made by the General Tourism Authority including the opening of representative offices in China and Qatar’s exemption of Chinese nationals Chinese nationals from pre-entry visa.

Chinese Ambassador praised the economic reforms and investment laws adopted by Qatar recently, including allowing full foreign ownership in most economic sectors, and other measures that contribute to enhancing the flow of investments and increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.

He noted that China is Qatar’s fourth trading partner and is the world’s second-largest importer of the Qatari LNG, affirming that cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy is proceeding normally and that Qatar is a reliable supplier of energy worldwide.

He ruled out any impact of the Gulf crisis on trade relations between the two countries, explaining that there is a growing interest from Chinese companies and banks to create opportunities in the Qatari market, to join more than 20 major Chinese companies already operating in Qatar.

Ambassador Chen said that the Embassy of China will organise two-day events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Qatari-Chinese relations, which falls on July 9.

Li Chen underlined that the Qatari-Chinese relations are witnessing increasing growth in the political, economic, defence, security, cultural, sports and educational fields, as well as cooperation in the areas of energy, finance, industry, security and defence. He praised the security cooperation between the two countries and their association with a joint agreement to strengthen security and fight terrorism, and the mutual understanding, trust and political support in the international forums.

He added that the levels and areas of cooperation between the two countries are increasing and becoming stronger by years, noting the cooperation between Qatar and China in the construction of a power plant in Pakistan with investments estimated at $2bn.

On his country’s position on the siege imposed on Qatar, the Chinese Ambassador said that his country has announced from the first moment of the crisis its support for the Kuwaiti mediation and dialogue between all brotherly countries.

He added that the State of Qatar has dealt with the crisis with self-restraint and balanced ways, and avoided escalation and tension and expressed willingness to resolve the crisis through dialogue, praising in this context the decisions adopted by Doha to address the shortage of food commodities, especially in the early days of the crisis.