Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a pivotal visit to the Middle East, where the world’s top oil importer deepened relations with the top exporter, in commercial agreements that included energy and technology deals but stopped short of explicitly expanding military cooperation. The Associated Press has the story:
Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia to meet China’s Xi
Newslooks- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)
Gulf Arab leaders and others in the Mideast met on Friday in Saudi Arabia as part of a state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, seeking to firm up their relations with Beijing as decades of U.S. attention on the region wanes.
Speaking to representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Xi described the Gulf Arab states and China as natural partners for cooperation after meeting with other regional leaders as part of his trip to Riyadh.
Before the meeting with Xi, representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in a summit helmed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, further signaling his control of a kingdom still overseen by his father, the 86-year-old King Salman.
Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose country now hosts the FIFA World Cup and has largely restored ties to its Arab neighbors after a yearslong boycott, was also at the summit. Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, whose island nation still has strained relations with Qatar, also attended.
Prince Mohammed made a point in his opening remarks, aired on state television, to applaud Qatar for its hosting of the World Cup. He also could be seen warmly greeting Sheikh Tamim before the meeting, something unthinkable only two years earlier amid the boycott.
Xi’s visit comes as China relies on the Gulf Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, for billions of dollars in crude oil imports to power his country’s economy. While the United States still maintains bases across the region and stations tens of thousands of troops, Gulf Arab nations feel Washington’s attention has shifted elsewhere after the end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Prince Mohammed touched on those energy ties in his remarks as benchmark Brent crude trades around $76 a barrel — down from highs of $122 in June. Those prices fuel the prince’s plans for a $500 billion futuristic city of Neom on the Red Sea and plans to overhaul the Saudi economy.
“The kingdom believes that hydrocarbon energy sources will remain an important resource to meet the needs of the world for the coming decades,” Prince Mohammed said. “We are aware of the importance of sustainable development and preserving the environment.”
The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The leader of the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, did not attend, instead sending the ruler of the emirate of Fujairah, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. Kuwait’s crown prince and a representative of Oman’s sultan also attended.
They also want to maintain relations with China even as U.S. officials believe they face a growing threat from China in Asia and Russia as Moscow wages its monthslong war on Ukraine.
During Xi’s visit, Saudi officials said deals were signed between Riyadh and Beijing, including some involving Chinese technology company Huawei on cloud-computing, data centers and other high-tech ventures. The U.S. has already has warned its Gulf Arab allies about working with Huawei over spying concerns.
Xi and King Salman also agreed to hold meetings between the two countries’ leaders every two years, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The agency reported that Xi met Thursday with Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan. The general was part of a deal struck on Monday in Sudan to establish a civilian-led transitional government following the military takeover there last year. However, no timeline has been set and the deal sparked renewed protests Thursday in Sudan.
Also on Thursday in Riyadh, Xi separately met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
On Friday, Xi held one-on-one meetings Tunisian President Kais Saied, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and Sheikh Tamim of Qatar.
China’s Xi at Saudi palace to meet royals on Mideast trip
Newslooks- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on Thursday with Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince while on a visit to the kingdom, solidifying ties with a region crucial to his country’s energy supplies as sanctions intensify on Russia over its war on Ukraine.
Xi arrived at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh and was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman’s assertive son who stands ready to rule the oil-rich kingdom in the decades to come. Xi shook hands with the prince as an honor guard on horseback carried Saudi and Chinese flags.
It wasn’t immediately clear what Xi focused on in his discussions, though he wrote in a newspaper column published by Al Riyadh newspaper that “exchanges between China and Arab states date back more than 2,000 years.” The column also quoted a saying by Islam’s Prophet Muhammad: “Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China.”
“The Arab people value independence, oppose external interference, stand up to power politics and high-handedness, and always seek to make progress,” Xi’s column read.
He also noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, serve as “an energy tank for world economy.” China, the world’s largest crude oil importer, relies heavily on Saudi oil, paying tens of billions of dollars annually to the kingdom.
Saudi state media released silent video of Xi and Prince Mohammed meeting at the palace, with a large picture of King Salman hanging in the background. Another video showed Xi later talking with the 86-year-old monarch and signing documents alongside him. Many of the Saudi officials wore facemasks in that meeting.
Saudi officials later said deals had been signed between the nations, including some involving Chinese technology company Huawei on cloud-computing, data centers and other high-tech ventures. The U.S. has already has warned its Gulf Arab allies about working with Huawei over spying concerns.
Xi and King Salman also agreed to holding meetings between the two countries’ leaders every two years, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The agency later reported that Xi met with Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan after a deal Monday to establish a civilian-led transitional government following the military takeover there last year. However, no timeline has been set and the deal sparked renewed protests Thursday in the country.
Xi separately met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well in Riyadh.
Gulf Arab states are trying to recalibrate their foreign policy as the United States turns its attention elsewhere in the world.
Russia’s war on Ukraine — and the West’s hardening stance on Moscow — has also left the Arab countries wanting to cement ties with China. For Prince Mohammed, hosting Xi boosts his own international profile after being linked to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Beyond China’s oil purchases, its construction expertise could be tapped as well for Prince Mohammed’s planned $500 billion futuristic city of Neom on the Red Sea. Chinese construction firms have worked elsewhere in Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, particularly in Dubai in the UAE.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, also has provided political cover to China over its harsh policies toward Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. More than a million have been sent to detention centers, forced to denounce Islam and swear fealty to Xi and the party.
The trip to Saudi Arabia marks a further move by Xi to restore his global profile after spending most of the pandemic inside China. The visit is his third overseas trip since early 2020. It also comes as Xi, who was granted a third five-year term as leader in October, has faced street protests over his zero-COVID-19 policies that represent the most-significant challenge to his rule.
During the visit, Xi is expect to attend the inaugural China-Arab States Summit and a meeting of the GCC.
