It was the year 1990 when Sheikh Zayed made his first official visit to China.
On May 7, the Founding Father flew out of Abu Dhabi with a delegation that included Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, now Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
He was on a 17-day tour of Asia in which the first stop was China, he then went to Japan and Indonesia.
“Despite the far distance between our countries, we share several goals and interests, mainly the need to develop our countries and achieve progress and prosperity for our peoples,” Sheikh Zayed said at the start of the Chinese visit.
“We sincerely hope our visit to China will help to boost our ties in all fields.”
Thirty years later, the UAE's relationship with China has grown stronger.
This week, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, is on his fourth official visit to the country – a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to the Emirates.
Accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior officials, Sheikh Mohamed witnessed the signing of 16 agreements between the two countries in a variety of fields.
