Thu 08 December 2022:
Saudi Crown Prince – Mohammed bin Salman, welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, with a lavish welcome, indicating Riyadh’s intent in strengthening ties with Beijing, despite US wariness, as the Chinese leader announced “a new era”, in Arab relations.
Saudi state TV showed a grand ceremony laid out for the Chinese leader, as bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler known as MBS, received him at Al-Yamamah Palace. Chinese and Saudi Arabian flags dotted the premises as members of the Saudi Royal Guard lined up with swords and played music.
The two leaders smiled warmly and looked on for photographs, a contrast to the atmosphere of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia earlier in the year.
In a signed article published Thursday in the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Xi said that his visit to the kingdom this week “will usher in a new era in China’s relations with the Arab world, with Arab states of the Gulf and with Saudi Arabia.”
“The Arab world is an important member of the developing world and a key force for upholding international fairness and justice,” Xi wrote, adding that “the Arab people value independence, oppose external interference, stand up to power politics and high-handedness, and always seek to make progress.”
In the article titled “Carrying Forward Our Millenia-old Friendship and Jointly Creating a Better Future,” Xi said that China and Arab states will “continue to hold high the banner of non-interference in internal affairs, firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, and jointly uphold international fairness and justice,” in a nod to US diplomacy, whose ties with the Saudis have crumbled over OPEC’s decision to slash crude oil supply.
Chinese President, due to meet with other Gulf oil producers and attend a wider gathering of Arab leaders on Friday.
Chinese and Saudi firms also signed 34 deals, for investment in green energy, information technology, cloud services, transport, construction and other sectors, According to Saudi state news agency SPA, two countries would seal initial agreements, worth $30 billion.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, like the United Arab Emirates have said, that they would not choose sides between global powers and were diversifying partners, to serve national economic and security interests.
China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is a major trade partner of Gulf states and bilateral ties have expanded, as the region pushes economic diversification, raising US hackles about Chinese involvement in sensitive Gulf infrastructure.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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