Xi arrives in Abu Dhabi after signing deals with UAE

DUBAI: President Xi Jinping arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for a three-day visit, after the announcement of oil and trade deals between China and the UAE.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said he was “delighted” to welcome Xi, posting photos on Twitter of the Chinese president receiving flowers on landing in the emirate.“This is a historic visit and represents a new stage of cooperation in all fields, which will bring growth, development and prosperity to the people of our nations,” said the crown prince of the UAE capital.

Abu Dhabi is the first stop on Xi’s tour, which also includes Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa.The Chinese president’s arrival followed the Gulf state earlier on Thursday publishing details of new deals clinched with Beijing.

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. said it had awarded two contracts worth $1.6 billion (1.4 billion euros) to BGP Inc., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Co., for a seismic survey in the emirate.

The survey is to search for oil and gas in onshore and offshore sites covering an area of 53,000 square kilometres (20,463 square miles), the statement said.State-run CNPC already has two concession rights contracts with ADNOC worth around $3 billion. The UAE’s state-owned DP World also announced an agreement by the two countries to build a new trade zone in Dubai.