Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Riyadh on Saturday morning, beginning his first state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz.

During his three-day visit here, President Hu will hold talks with King Abdullah and meet with other Saudi leaders to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern. They will also discuss ways to strengthen the friendly cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia.

In his written statement delivered upon arrival at the airport in Riyadh, President Hu said Sino-Saudi relations have progressed steadily since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990, and the Chinese side is satisfied with the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation in such fields as politics, economy, trade, and culture.

He said China attaches great importance to the relationship with Saudi Arabia and will work with the Saudi side to continuously push forward the development of bilateral friendship and cooperation.

President Hu added he is convinced that his visit will further promote the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples, as well as the development of bilateral friendship and strategic cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is now China's largest trading partner in West Asia and North Africa. In 2005, trade volume between the two countries exceeded US$16 billion, an increase of 56 percent as compared with the previous year.

In January, King Abdullah paid a successful visit to China, during which the two countries signed a number of cooperation documents.

President Hu flew here from the US state of Connecticut after a state visit to the United States. Saudi Arabia is the second leg of his five-nation tour, which will also take him to Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.

(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2006)