Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs Dr. Khalid Al-Bayari has discussed military cooperation with China’s State Councilor Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe.
The discussion took place on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit (19th Shangri-La Dialogue), Asia’s premier defense summit.
During the meeting, the bilateral relations between the two countries in the defense and military fields were reviewed and several issues of mutual concern were discussed, according to the statement.
Dr. Al Bayari led the Kingdom’s defense ministry delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, which kicked off in Singapore.
The Shangri-La Dialogue involves top-level military officials, diplomats, and weapons makers from around the globe. The summit is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
As per the statement, “The Asia Security Summit is scheduled to discuss a number of important issues, topped by the regional security situation, ways of cooperation and exchange in the defense field, and enhancing security partnerships in Asia and the Pacific.”
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) signed 12 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with a range of defense industry leaders. The MoUs will see global industry leaders collaborating with the ministry to promote fields related to investing in the Saudi defense sector, building in-Kingdom capabilities, and including Saudi Arabia in the global value chain of the defense industry.
In March, Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil-exporting company, revealed that its joint venture in China will develop a major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in North-East China.
