China is working to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at an early date and is looking to the UAE to help speed up negotiations for a deal, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between Wang and the UAE’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The UAE is willing to play an active role in deepening relations between Arab countries and China and in accelerating negotiations for a China-GCC free trade agreement, the statement said, quoting Al Nahyan.

Wang is on a three-nation tour of the Middle East that began in the UAE last week and will end in Jordan.

Further reading:

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During his meeting with the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, in Riyadh on Sunday, Wang said China was willing to work with Saudi Arabia to elevate bilateral ties, the state-backed China Global Television Network reported.

He called for strengthening cooperation in areas such as energy and investment, and expanding collaboration into new areas, including renewable energy and green transition.

Al-Saud said the kingdom is looking forward to advancing negotiations on a China-GCC FTA.

Talks on a free trade deal have been ongoing since 2004.