I was excitedly expecting President Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia from December 7 to 10, 2022. When his plane entered Saudi Arabia's airspace, four fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Force took off to escort it, and six Saudi Hawk jets then accompanied the flight as it took to the sky over Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia. He received a grand and warm welcome when the plane arrived at the King Khalid International Airport. A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival. The Saudi Hawks painted the sky in red and yellow, colors of China's national flag. 

Upon his arrival, Xi attended the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, followed by a state visit to Saudi Arabia and bilateral meetings with about 20 leaders of the Arab states. This was the largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 as well as an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations. I was deeply moved by every part of the event.

Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai meeting with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918–1970) during the Bandung Conference in April 1955. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian embassy in China]