Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, came in the United Arab Emirates on Monday to explore collaboration on clean hydrogen, ammonia, and recycled carbon fuels in advance of this year’s UN climate negotiations in Dubai.

In November-December, the United Arab Emirates will host the COP28 conference. Kishida’s trip there is part of the first Gulf tour undertaken by a Japanese prime minister since the passing of Shinzo Abe in 2020.

Japan imports almost all of its crude oil, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar providing the majority of its supplies.

Kishida arrived by plane from Saudi Arabia, where he had a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday. He will travel to Qatar on Tuesday after having talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

His visit coincides with a period of increased cooperation between the region and China, which in March mediated a startling detente between Gulf adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran.