<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/05/sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-meets-chinas-president-xi-jinping-in-beijing/" target="_blank">President Sheikh Mohamed</a> will embark on a state visit to China next Thursday. The head of state will travel at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom he is due to hold talks as part of the trip. Discussions between the leaders will centre on efforts to further <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/08/23/uae-china-ties-are-entering-a-new-and-historic-era-says-envoy/" target="_blank">bolster ties </a>between the friendly countries, with a focus on the economy, development plans and culture, state news agency Wam said. Sheikh Mohamed will attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and China. He will also take part in the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Chinese Co-operation Forum. Sheikh Mohamed attended the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022, at the invitation of Mr Xi. The two leaders held talks during his visit in which they explored ways to enhance the UAE and China's joint comprehensive partnership, particularly in terms of investment and the economy. Formal ties between the UAE and China were established in 1984. This was followed six years later by a historic visit by UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Images from the trip showed Sheikh Zayed visiting famous sites such as the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. In 2018, Mr Xi <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/china-visit-uae-leadership-strikes-strategic-deals-with-xi-jinping-1.752319" target="_blank">made a state visit to the UAE</a> and relations between the countries were strengthened to become the “comprehensive strategic partnership”. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in his previous capacity as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/uae-and-china-sign-strategic-agreements-as-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-visits-beijing-1.889051" target="_blank">visited China the following year</a>. The UAE is part of China's Belt and Road initiative, a major global infrastructure development strategy, and is a<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/uae-signs-up-as-founding-member-of-asian-infrastructure-investment-bank-1.30629" target="_blank"> founding member</a> of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Sheikh Mohamed's China engagement will follow a two-day state visit to South Korea, which will begin on Tuesday. The UAE leader will meet <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2023/10/14/uae-and-south-korea-conclude-cepa-talks-to-strengthen-trade-ties/" target="_blank">South Korean</a> President Yoon Suk Yeol. The UAE and South Korea have a special strategic partnership in place to further consolidate relations.
