The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources also said "In terms of our reliability and being a proven, long-term strategic ally, I believe this is already happening. We have never wavered in our commitment to meet China's demands and we will continue to be a trusted ally in the future. While these are mere words, I believe our actions over the past two decades are proof of our commitment. As things stand, China has overtaken the US as Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner. Chinese companies have won $25bn of business in the Kingdom in recent years. We operate a joint venture refinery in Yanbu. We run a successful joint venture refinery in Fujian. There are 160 Chinese companies operating across Saudi Arabia in construction, infrastructure, telecommunications, petrochemicals and others. There are some 1,200 Saudi students in China and more than 600 Chinese students in the Kingdom. Can we do more together? Yes, of course. That's why I'm here. Further steps can and should be taken in terms of deepening our oil and gas cooperation. We are seeking to diversify our economy and we need further investment in industry and engineering. We want to work with you. We also want to meet your needs. But both nations need to work harder to improve the conditions for trade and investment. Business is based on trust, but also mutual benefit. The climate must be right. I'm sure we can do better." --More 17:35 LOCAL TIME 14:35 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w