Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. The Gulf state’s de facto ruler and Xi also spoke today about expanding their cooperation and mutual investment, state news agency SPA reported after their meeting at the palace in the capital Riyadh. China’s head of state was supposed to meet with King Salman.
He wants to usher in “a new era for China-Arab world relations,” Xi wrote in a newspaper article published today in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to their mineral resources, industries and construction services, the Arab states are “countries with enormous potential”.
intensified relationships
Relations between Riyadh and Beijing, previously quite weak, have deepened in recent years. China is now an important trading partner for Saudi Arabia. Beijing, for its part, is heavily dependent on Saudi oil.
Xi’s trip comes five months after US President Joe Biden visited the kingdom. He reaffirmed the US claim to leadership in the region. Relations between Washington and Riyadh are currently poor.