[ad_1]
China’s defence minister visits Oman as Beijing eyes foothold in Arabian Sea
MEE workers
Fri, 04/29/2022 – 16:00
China’s minister of defence held talks with Omani officers within the sultanate’s capital Muscat on Thursday, with the 2 sides pledging to enhance their strategic partnership, as Beijing pushes to strengthen its presence within the Arabian Sea.
Wei Fenghe arrived in Oman from Iran, assembly Oman’s overseas minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi and Sultan bin Mohammed al-Nomani, the royal workplace minister.
In an announcement, each side stated they mentioned “the event witnessed in Omani-Chinese language relations in varied fields and exchanges in addition to views on regional and worldwide problems with frequent curiosity.”
Chinese language and Omani officers additionally mentioned methods of enhancing joint army cooperation.
Fenghe, heading a army delegation, additionally met Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Stated and Lieutenant-Normal Sultan bin Mohammed al-Numani.
Fenghe stated that “China is Oman’s sole strategic accomplice.”
“China and Oman have witnessed a steady and in-depth growth of their bilateral relations,” he added, based on the Chinese language information web site Xinhua.
Muscat, an ally of the the US and the UK, has at all times sought a impartial overseas coverage and stored ties with a number of conflicting events within the Center East and internationally.
In accordance with the London-based Al-Arab newspaper, Fenghe’s go to to Muscat is a part of Beijing’s push to spice up its presence within the coastal city of Duqm. This strategic area connects the gulfs of Oman and Aden, and the Arabian Sea to the Indian Ocean.
China has invested $10.7bn within the Chinese language-Omani Park within the Duqm area, 550km south of the capital Muscat, and leased lands from the Omani authorities to arrange gentle and heavy industrial areas and broaden an oil refinery facility.
In February, Oman formally opened Duqm Port, poised to be a hub for commerce, trade and funding, able to dealing with mega container ships and crude carriers.
The port has attracted curiosity from a number of regional and international gamers, together with India, Iran, the UK and the US.
In 2019, Washington agreed with Oman to permit the US navy to entry strategic port, which is giant sufficient to host plane carriers.
[ad_2]
Source link
%20who%20is%20visiting%20the%20Agency%20on%20the%2075th%20anniversary%20of%20its%20founding%20in%20Langley,%20Virginia,%20on%20July%208,%202022%20-%20AFP.jpg?itok=IqZpGQ2M){kind=small}
