Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first by a Chinese head of state in 29 years to the Arab state.

 

中国国家主席习近平周四抵达阿布扎比，对阿联酋进行国事访问，这是29年来首位访问阿拉伯国家的中国首脑。
 

 

Xi's plane was escorted by the UAE fighter jets when it entered the country's air space.

 

Upon their arrival, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were warmly received by the UAE Vice¹ President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin² Rashid Al Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They were also presented with flowers by some local children.

 

The UAE's vice president hosted a welcome ceremony for the Chinese president at the airport.

 

A 21-gun salute³ was fired while Xi and his wife Peng inspected the guard of honor. Xi held cordial talks with the vice president and the crown prince.

 

On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, Xi sent sincere greetings and good wishes to the UAE government and the UAE people.

 

Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations 34 years ago, China and the UAE have always been respecting each other and treating each other as equals, Xi said, adding that bilateral⁴ ties have seen remarkable⁵ progress with fruitful pragmatic cooperation achieved in various fields.

 

He said that the UAE is the first stop of this overseas trip, and also the first country he visits since his re-election as President of the People's Republic of China.

 

This shows that China attaches great importance to its relationship with the UAE, he stressed.

点击收听单词发音