"The UAE and China have agreed to enhance cooperation in all fields to higher levels and forge overall strategic partnerships," the official WAM news agency said. China and the UAE had already signed on Friday a raft of economic agreements and in the run-up to Xi's visit they agreed oil and trade deals. Xi met UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also ruler of Dubai, and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan during his visit. A strategic cooperation framework between state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) and China National Petroleum Company was among the deals signed on Friday, the UAE company said. China is the United Arab Emirates' top trading partner and the UAE is also one of the top 15 crude suppliers to China.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 21, 2018 08:03 UTC