The first-ever state visit to China by Oman's Sultan Haitham underscores the deep trust between China and Oman, Arab reporters said at the welcome ceremony for the Sultan, held in Beijing on Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping held the welcome ceremony for Sultan Haitham. Accompanied by Xi, Sultan Haitham reviewed the guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and then the two leaders returned to the reviewing stand to watch a march-past of the Guard of Honor.
The visit marks the first state visit by an Omani head of state to China since the two countries established diplomatic relations 48 years ago.
At the ceremony, reporters from Arab media hailed the visit as underscoring mutual trust between China and Arab countries.
"Oman is a country with a very important geographic location in the Middle East, close to the Strait of Hormuz. Choosing this time to come to China really shows that Middle East countries particularly trust China. Especially, I think China has always provided many countries with a reliable and feasible cooperative relationship in this uncertain world," said Ameen Muneer Mohammed Al-Obaidi of China-Arab TV.
Oman TV reporter Ibrahim Alazri said he hopes his granddaughter can also learn Chinese and visit China in the future.
"I'm a correspondent. I'm doing a report for Oman TV. I did a report about learning the Chinese language. More than 20 schools in Oman is [are] teaching the Chinese language. I hope that [for] my granddaughter, she will learn Chinese in the future," he said.
As part of the Sultan's state visit, the two heads of state also jointly witnessed the signing of 16 cooperation documents in areas such as industrial and supply chains, green development, and digital finance.
Oman's Sultan's first state visit to China underscores deep trust, Arab reporters say
China's top legislature has convened its latest standing committee session in Beijing from November 2 to 6 to review a series of draft laws and amendment bills addressing issues including procuratorial public interest litigation, state-owned assets, Antarctic protection, and combating cross-border corruption.
The second draft of the cross-border anti-corruption bill anchors legislation in a holistic approach to national security, and stresses strict rule of law, due process and human rights protection.
According to Zhou Guangquan, Vice Chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, the draft sets out provisions for authorities to use information technology in cross-border anti-corruption work.
He also noted that members of the public have called for tighter safeguards for state secrets, work secrets, trade secrets, personal information and privacy.
Separately, some Standing Committee members and experts said enterprises with cross-border operations should factor in company size, business scope and risk prevention needs when establishing integrity compliance units or appointing dedicated anti-corrruption staff. Following deliberation, the suggestion was put forward for adoption.
The session will also review the second reading of the draft financial law.
The latest draft aims to boost consumer and investor protection, unify asset management rules, regulate online financial marketing, and tighten oversight of cross-border financial activities.
Xin Chunying, Chairperson of the Constitution and Law Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, said the committee proposed adding a rule that prevents overseas institutions or individuals providing financial products and services within Chinese territory without approval.
She also stated that entities legally providing such products and services in China must comply with laws, administrative regulations and the provisions of the State Council's financial regulatory authorities.
The draft Antarctic Activities and Environmental Protection Law entered its third reading at the session with updated clauses outlining China's participation in global Antarctic governance, improving the national expedition management system, and protecting Chinese citizens' lawful rights in Antarctica.
Several other draft law revisions are being tabled for first deliberation at this session, including amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law to refine the foreign-related criminal litigation system, a revised Renewable Energy Law to tighten regulations and boost industrial development, and several updates to the Ecology and Environment Code that took effect in August.
Lawmakers will also review a State Council proposal to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.
China's top legislature convenes standing committee session
