Yemen

Note: This column mainly includes countries along the Belt and Road and countries that have signed cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2013, friendly relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Yemen enjoyed new development.

The two countries maintained high-level exchanges. In March, President Abdu-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi sent a message of congratulation to President Xi Jinping on his election as president. In November, President Hadi paid a state visit to China, during which President Xi Jinping had talks with him and Premier Li Keqiang and CPPCC Chairman Yu Zhengsheng met with him respectively. During the visit, the two sides signed the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Yemen and the Agreement on Enhancing Educational Cooperation Between Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training of the Republic of Yemen. In January, Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun visited Yemen. In March, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming attended and spoke at the fifth Friends of Yemen Ministerial Meeting in London on behalf of the Chinese government. In September, Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the sixth Friends of Yemen Ministerial Meeting held on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York and delivered an address. Also in September, Yemeni Minister of Industry and Trade Saadaldeen Ali Salim Talib visited China and attended the China-Arab States Expo 2013 in Ningxia. Minister of Defense Muhammed Nasser Ahmed also visited China.

Bilateral economic cooperation moved forward steadily. In April, the ninth Meeting of the Joint Economic, Trade and Technical Committee between China and Yemen was held in Beijing. China's assistance projects in Yemen progressed smoothly. The China-Yemen Friendship Hospital was handed over to Yemen and the Yemen National Library project made good progress.

Achievements were made in bilateral educational and health cooperation. China resumed the practice of sending teachers to the China- Yemen Technology Institute, and the Chinese medical assistance team to Yemen was fully reinstated.