China and Oman sign currency swap and 14 cooperation deals as Xi calls deeper ties a “shared strategic choice”
China and Oman signed a central-bank currency swap agreement and 14 cooperation documents in Beijing on Monday during Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said’s historic state visit, the first by an Omani head of state since ties were established in 1978.
China and Oman have signed a currency swap agreement between their central banks and 14 memoranda of understanding and cooperation protocols, capping a day of ceremony and talks in Beijing during the first state visit to China by an Omani head of state. The documents were signed on Monday in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, according to the Oman News Agency.
Xi told the Sultan at the start of their meeting in Beijing that expanding and deepening ties between the two countries was a “shared strategic choice”, and that their relations stood at a “new historical starting point”, according to a media pool report carried by Reuters. “I am ready to work with you to guide the China-Oman strategic partnership to an even higher level, better serve the peoples of our two countries, and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Xi said.
The day began with full state honours at the Great Hall of the People, where a 21-gun salute marked the Sultan’s arrival and the Omani royal anthem and the Chinese national anthem were played as the two leaders took their places on the ceremonial platform. Sultan Haitham arrived in Beijing on Sunday at Xi’s invitation for a two-day visit, and was welcomed alongside an official delegation.
The historic character of the visit has been stressed by both sides. It is the first visit to China by an Omani head of state since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1978, nearly half a century ago, and Oman’s ambassador to Beijing has described it as the first ever by an Omani sultan. The visit also includes a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, underlining that the trip spans both the ceremonial and the working levels of the Chinese state.
The currency swap agreement was concluded between the Central Bank of Oman and the People’s Bank of China. Such agreements allow the two central banks to exchange their currencies and can make it easier for businesses to trade and settle payments without relying entirely on a third currency such as the US dollar. The announcement did not specify the value, duration or operational terms of the swap, and those details may emerge only when the agreement itself is published.
The 14 other documents cover sectors ranging from artificial intelligence and green investment to food exports, according to the Oman News Agency report. The breadth of the list suggests the visit was designed to move the relationship beyond its traditional energy and trade foundations into technology, sustainability and agriculture, areas where both countries have been seeking new partners.
For China, Oman occupies a distinctive position in the Gulf. It sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the world’s seaborne oil passes, and it has long cultivated a reputation as a mediator in regional disputes, hosting quiet talks between parties that do not speak directly. A closer partnership with Muscat therefore carries both economic and diplomatic value for Beijing, which has been expanding its engagement across the Gulf in recent years.
For Oman, the visit offers a chance to deepen ties with the world’s second-largest economy at a moment of acute regional tension. The Gulf is currently living through a period of confrontation between the United States and Iran, with shipping through Hormuz disrupted and oil prices above $100 a barrel, and Gulf states have been working to protect their economies and their room for manoeuvre. Agreements with a major buyer of Gulf energy and a major investor in infrastructure fit that strategy.
The visit also comes as China continues to build its relationships across the Middle East, where it has signed strategic partnerships with several Gulf states and positioned itself as a partner that does not attach the political conditions sometimes associated with Western engagement. Oman’s emphasis on neutrality and dialogue makes it a natural interlocutor for Beijing, and the language used on Monday, about a partnership serving regional peace and stability, reflects that shared framing.
What happens next will depend on how quickly the signed documents are turned into concrete projects. Currency swaps and cooperation protocols are frameworks rather than finished deals: their value will be judged by whether trade volumes grow, whether the promised investments in artificial intelligence and green energy materialise, and whether food exports from Oman to China expand in practice. For now, though, the visit has already delivered its headline outcome: a relationship that waited 48 years for a first state visit now has a formal package of agreements to build on.
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