The humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip will be an important topic for discussions at a special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said president of the forum at a press conference on Saturday.
The special meeting on global collaboration, growth and energy for development, to be held from Sunday to Monday, will bring together more than 700 participants, including stakeholders from governments and international organizations, politicians and corporate leaders. They will have in-depth discussions over the impact of Middle East crisis on regional economy, and the global economic disparity between the North and the South, as well as the issues related to global economic cooperation.
"While we're sitting here in Riyadh, the situations in Gaza are still ongoing, the humanitarian situation is very difficult. Important discussions will take place here related to de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. There will be discussions, of course, on the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza," said Borge Brende, WEF president, at the press conference
On the same occasion, Saudi Arabian Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim said Saudi Arabia has realized economic transition and expressed the expectation to further enhance its relationship with China in trade and other sectors.
"The relationship with China is very strong. We have decades of strong historical ties on the trade side, and that trade profile is evolving robustly. That's something we want to continue to maintain and grow and reach new levels of trade, but also demonstrate stronger collaboration and partnership results," said Alibrahim.
Humanitarian situation in Gaza to be high on agenda of WEF special meeting: president
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a French agricultural goods firm, is eying expanded investment and growth in China and closer ties with its companies, said a regional executive for the company.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Nicolas Maguin, COO of the North Asia region at LDC, highlighted the company's persistent trade with Chinese companies over the decades.
"LDC's long trading history in China dates back to our first cotton trade more than half a century ago. We have since been benefiting from China's reform and opening up, which contributed to shaping a growing and attractive market through embracing international trade, facilitating foreign investment and engaging with new technologies, production methods and talent," he said.
Maguin noted that China's development philosophy, including its determination to rapidly develop innovative production environments and capabilities, is in line with the company's strategy.
"Today, China is also embracing the 'new quality productive forces', which requires continuous and disruptive breakthroughs in science and technology. And this approach aligns very well with LDC's own transformational strategy, a key driver of which is to push integration and innovation across all our value chains. China's vast consumer market, with increasing demand for high-quality, diversity products, and with emerging new business models, is extremely important to LDC in relation to our strategic road map," the COO said.
In particular, Maguin mentioned the China International Import Expo (CIIE) as a key platform to promote the company in China and explore cooperation opportunities.
"We appreciate the CIIE as a key opportunity to engage with Chinese stakeholders and drive collaborations, as we developed new products and services that meet evolving market demands and expectations. Finally, as China advances green and low-carbon developments, LDC is actively exploring new pathways to advance de-carbonization goals. As a company that has built profound relations with China over more than 50 years, we look forward to keeping on working with like-minded local partners whose competencies complement our own, as we continue investing in and growing with China," he said.
Over the years, China-France economic and trade cooperation continues to expand. Two-way trade between China and France has reached 78.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
China is now France's largest trading partner in Asia, while France ranks as China's third-largest trading partner within the European Union (EU).
French food firm aims for closer ties with Chinese partners
