Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives at the Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sept. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

ABU DHABI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived here Wednesday for an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the invitation of the UAE's Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Upon his arrival, Li said that bilateral ties between China and the UAE have maintained strong growth momentum since the two countries established diplomatic relations 40 years ago, and their friendship has grown stronger and continues to flourish.

Li noted that the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in May has drawn a new blueprint for China-UAE ties, charting the course and injecting strong momentum for advancing bilateral relations and cooperation.

Li pointed out that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-UAE relations have developed comprehensively, rapidly and in depth with practical cooperation in various fields going deeper and cultural exchanges becoming increasingly active.

The two countries have maintained close communication and coordination on multilateral platforms, continuously contributing to peace, stability, prosperity and development of the region and the world at large, he said.

Guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and taking the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, Li said he looked forward to having in-depth exchanges with UAE leaders and people committed to China-UAE friendship in various sectors to deepen and solidify China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership and achieve more fruitful results in exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

The UAE is the second and final leg of Li's four-day tour to the Middle East, which began in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. He chaired the Fourth Meeting of the High-Level Chinese-Saudi Joint Committee in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and paid an official visit to the country.