RIYADH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah
bin Abdul Aziz said on Wednesday that China is one of the special
friends of Saudi Arabia and expressed satisfaction with the current
smooth development of bilateral ties.

  In an interview with Xinhua, the crown prince, the kingdom's de
facto ruler, said the Saudi-Chinese ties, based on the interests of
both countries, are very strong and have been developing smoothly
since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990.

  The crown prince, who visited China in October 1998, also wished
all success to the future development in China, especially to
China's new leadership.

  Saudi Arabia, a Gulf country and the world's biggest oil
producer and exporter, established formal diplomatic relations with
China on July 21, 1990. Chinese President Jiang Zemin invited the
kingdom at the invitation of King Fahd Ibn Abdul-Aziz in October
1999.

  (Xinhua News Agency)