Qatar PM-FM meets Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing to chart ‘next golden decade’ of ties

Monday’s talks in Beijing covered trade, energy and artificial intelligence, with China voicing support for Qatar’s mediation efforts in the Middle East.Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Monday to discuss expanding economic partnerships and regional diplomacy.Discussions focused on trade, energy, and artificial intelligence, with Beijing backing Doha’s mediation efforts in the Middle East.During the talks, Sheikh Mohammed said that Doha is keen to elevate its relations with China to broader horizons and further advance cooperation in line with the shared goals and interests of the two countries, according to a statement released by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.A readout published by China’s State Council quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying Doha is prepared to scale up exchanges across trade, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, and emerging technologies to “jointly embrace the next golden decade of bilateral relations.”For his part, Li called for tighter alignment of development strategies under the Belt and Road framework. He outlined priority sectors for expanded collaboration, including traditional energy, new-energy sources, artificial intelligence, and finance.“China welcomes Qatari investment in China and supports more Chinese enterprises to invest in Qatar to improve the quality and efficiency of two-way investment,” Li said, adding that he hopes Qatar will continue to foster a sound development environment for Chinese enterprises and safeguard the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Qatar.Addressing regional tensions, Li commended Doha’s mediation track in the Middle East. He affirmed China’s readiness to coordinate with Qatar and the international community to reach early peace and stability in the region.Separately on Monday, Qatar’s Minister of Municipality Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah met with representatives of several Chinese companies specialising in agriculture, public services, and construction technology.The meetings focused on adopting smart systems and advanced technologies to upgrade municipal infrastructure and operational efficiency across Qatar’s urban and agricultural sectors.