On November 14, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with the foreign ministers or representatives of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), who were attending the 56th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Tang reviewed the development of friendly relations between China and GCC and its members in all fields. He said that the two sides have maintained high-level political contacts, further deepened mutual understanding and trust, and consolidated the political foundation for bilateral friendly cooperation.

He said that China and GCC share the same or similar views on many major international and regional issues and have conducted good cooperation in international affairs. The two sides are complementary in the economic and trade fields, constantly explored and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation. Last year, the trade volume between China and GCC exceeded USD$ 10 billion. It is the common understanding and conforms to the common interests of both sides to further develop friendly cooperation in all fields.

Tang is satisfied with bilateral relations and said that China is ready to work with GCC and its members to jointly promote the constant development of bilateral relations.

Tang said that the Quatar government has made meticulous arrangements for China's accession to the WTO at the recent Doha WTO ministerial meeting and the complete success of that meeting. I would like to thank, on behalf of the Chinese government, the Quatar government and people.

During the talks, the two sides also had an extensive exchange of views on the Middle East Peace Process, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and other issues.

The six GCC foreign ministers or representatives said that the GCC attaches great importance to relations with China. The two sides have recently scored new progress in the friendly cooperation in political, economic, and trade fields. China is an important economic and trade partner of the GCC and its members. The GCC is ready to further develop relations with China in all fields. The GCC appreciates and cherishes China's just position on the Middle East Peace Process and congratulates China on its entry into the WTO.

The six GCC countries are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Quatar.