RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Saudi leaders Thursday at the start of a multi-day state visit as the oil-rich desert kingdom strengthens ties with US rivals amid doubts over Washington’s involvement in the Middle East.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who heads the kingdom’s day-to-day affairs, greeted the Chinese leader with a handshake upon his arrival at Al-Yamamah Palace, the seat of the Saudi monarchy. A Saudi honor guard greeted Mr Xi before Prince Mohammed escorted him inside to meet his father, King Salman. The two sides are expected to sign about 20 initial agreements totaling more than $29 billion before attending a grand gathering of leaders from the Gulf and Arab countries on Friday.
No details on the deals were disclosed, but progress in talks on pricing some Saudi oil sales in yuan, which the Wall Street Journal said accelerated this year, would draw intense U.S. scrutiny, as would any new arms deals or further cooperation in 5G and 6G telecommunications networks.
Mr Xi’s trip will draw inevitable comparisons to Mr Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia in July, during which he shared an awkward fist bump with 37-year-old Prince Mohammed, which was rebuked at home by critics who said the American president was wearing to gloss over Saudi human rights abuses..
Received by the kingdom’s foreign minister and the head of its sovereign wealth fund at the airport on Wednesday, Mr Xi said he would discuss bilateral and international affairs with Saudi leaders and plan the development of Sino-Saudi relations, which was first established in 1990.
The relationship between the world’s largest oil importer and largest oil exporter is firmly rooted in energy and trade – China is already Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and the largest consumer of its crude. Even as the world embraces renewable energy, these trends are expected to only accelerate as the last barrels of oil are likely to come from Saudi fields and be consumed in Asia.
But ties between the two countries have grown in recent years, including massive contracts for Chinese construction companies, widespread adoption of Chinese technology despite security concerns, and even transfers of military hardware such as drones and ballistic missiles, and help in the manufacture of uranium -Yellow cake. required for a civilian nuclear energy program or nuclear weapons capability.
The growing defense and geopolitical aspects of Sino-Saudi relations are alarming in Washington, which has long been the dominant security force in the energy-rich Middle East. But China hasn’t shown any interest in replacing that role, or the ability to do so, and the Saudis don’t really want to replace the US as their main security guarantor, analysts say.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said Wednesday that the Biden administration is not asking countries to choose sides between the US and China, but he acknowledged that Mr Xi’s trip was amid tensions in US-Saudi Arabia relations comes after the October decision by the kingdom and other oil producers to cut production despite calls from Washington.
“We are aware of the influence that China is trying to expand around the world. The Middle East is certainly one of the regions where they want to deepen their influence,” Kirby told reporters. He said the way China is doing this threatens the international order that the US and its allies and partners are trying to protect.
Craig Singleton, a former US national security official and now a senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, said Beijing wants to leverage the US security umbrella in the Middle East while securing access to key oil markets and commercial shipping lanes there.
“Xi is clearly interested in capitalizing on the Biden administration’s many missteps in the Middle East,” including the White House’s contentious relationship with Prince Mohammed, he added.
Jets belch smoke in the colors of the Chinese flag over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the day of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival.
Photo: Xie Huanchi/Zuma Press
After two years of tensions between Washington and Riyadh under Mr Biden and a global power shift accelerated by the Ukraine war, Mr Xi’s trip underscores Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East, where it has also developed ties with Saudi rival Iran. This week’s visit will be scrutinized for clues to the trajectory of a more wayward Saudi foreign policy.
The trip caps a big week for global energy markets following the introduction of a Western price cap and ban on Russian oil exports. Saudis will be eager to hear about Mr Xi’s plans for dealing with Covid-19 at home, where the government is backing down from a zero-tolerance approach that has sparked rare protests and dampened global energy demand.
Washington’s patience with its partners’ deals with Beijing was tested last year when the Biden administration learned that China was secretly building a military facility suspected by US intelligence agencies at a port in the United Arab Emirates that is also home to American troops are stationed. After rounds of talks and visits by US officials, construction was halted.
Mr Xi’s visit will also highlight the growing cultural ties with Riyadh and the shared values between the two authoritarian regimes, both of which tolerate little public criticism and carefully manage their economies. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, has publicly defended China’s policies in its western region of Xinjiang, veiled Beijing’s crackdown on the Uyghur Muslim minority and supported China’s position on Taiwan. At home, it introduces Mandarin to the Saudi school curriculum.
In a letter published in the Al Riyadh newspaper, Mr Xi placed his visit in the context of the 2,000-year-old relationship between Chinese and Arab civilizations, noting that China is mentioned in the Qur’an. “The Arab people value independence, reject outside interference, oppose power politics and self-importance and always try to make progress,” he wrote.
Write to Stephen Kalin at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8