Negotiations for the free trade agreement between the the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China have entered the final stage, said GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi in Kuwait City of Kuwait on Friday.
Addressing a press conference on the upcoming 45th GCC Summit, Albudaiwi said the GCC will strengthen cooperation with China in various fields in the coming year.
"We are coordinating with China on every different level. We are in the final stage of our FTA negotiation with China. We hope, we really, truly hope, we can finish it, I hope, this month, or next month, in December, in the near future. Because it is a relationship that will open the market for everybody's good and everybody will benefit from it, trade, industry, infrastructure, political dialog. We are in very close coordination and cooperation with China," said the GCC chief.
China is the largest trading partner of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with bilateral trade between China and GCC countries reaching 286 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
China and the GCC launched Free Trade Agreement negotiations in 2004 and have held 11 rounds of negotiations so far.
The 11th round of negotiations was held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province from October 15 to 18 this year.
GCC chief on free trade agreement negotiations with China
A rescue team from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) arrived in Nay Pyi Taw, capital of Myanmar, on Sunday evening, and swiftly proceeded to the area hardest hit by a massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake to assist in search and rescue operations.
The 51-member team, after a brief rest at the Myanmar National Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Nay Pyi Taw, geared up for an overnight journey to Mandalay, the city closest to the quake's epicenter, to begin their crucial rescue efforts.
"I am part of the support team from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA). This time, the HA has dispatched two doctors and two nurses to join the HKSAR rescue mission. We have prepared for possible emergencies, including bringing a large stock of medical supplies and equipment such as ventilators and blood pressure monitors," said Chiu Yuet Chung, one of the rescuers.
"As soon as we received news of such a severe disaster, we immediately began extensive preparations in Hong Kong. While the 'golden 72 hours ' are critical, we ensured that we could deploy as quickly as possible. This time, we were able to prepare and depart in a very short time," said Kong Ka-ho, a senior officer from Hong Kong's Fire Services Department.
Kong said the rescue team had prepared a wide range of equipment, including life-detecting radars, drones, 360-degree cameras, and demolition tools, to assist in the precise search and rescue of trapped individuals.
According to the Hong Kong SAR Government's Security Bureau, the 51-member rescue team comprises personnel from the Security Bureau, Fire Services Department, Immigration Department, and the Hospital Authority. The team also includes two fire search and rescue dogs.
The earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday noon was the largest of the year so far and the strongest continental seismic activity globally in nearly a decade. At least 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing as of Sunday noon, according to the country's State Administration Council on Sunday.
China's HK rescue team rushes to Myanmar quake epicenter to search for survivors
