On December 29, 2025, Ambassador Chang Hua of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia met with Dr. Raed bin Khaled Qarmali, the newly appointed Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Chang congratulated Raed on his assumption of office and briefed him on the guiding principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. He noted that, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China–Saudi Arabia relations have developed rapidly over the past 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, and that the first “China–Saudi Arabia Cultural Year” concluded successfully. The Chinese side attaches great importance to deepening exchanges and cooperation with the Saudi side in the fields of public diplomacy and media, and stands ready to work together to continuously enrich the connotations of the China–Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Raed stated that over the 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Saudi Arabia–China relations have achieved leapfrog development through the joint efforts of both sides, with increasingly close official and people-to-people exchanges. The Saudi side appreciates the major initiatives and concepts proposed by China and is willing to deepen exchanges with China on governance and statecraft, as well as promote mutual learning and exchanges between civilizations.