Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (2nd R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe (4th R), in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, March 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xiaowei)

ABU DHABI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged on Thursday his commitment to bolstering the relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China.

The crown prince made the remarks when meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed recalled the historically close cooperation between the two countries along the ancient Silk Road, adding that the bilateral relationship has grown in recent years.

He hailed the successful visit to the UAE by Chinese President Xi Jinping last July, during which the two sides laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of bilateral ties by agreeing to enhance cooperation in all fields.

For his part, Wei said that President Xi's visit to the UAE last year has put bilateral ties onto the fast track of development as the two sides agreed to elevate the China-UAE ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

China attaches great importance to the development of its relations with the UAE and regards the Middle Eastern country as a natural partner for joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, Wei said.

In recent years, military ties between the two countries have witnessed rapid and in-depth development, demonstrated by the frequent mutual visits by top military officials and the fruitful cooperation in related areas, Wei said.

He added that China is willing to work with the UAE to promote bilateral military ties to a higher level and implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Wei also met with Minister of State for Defense of the UAE Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi.