RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and China deepened ties during President Xi Jinping’s visit on Thursday with several strategic deals, including with tech giant Huawei, whose growing footprint in the Gulf region has seen U.S. has raised security concerns.
King Salman signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with Xi, which received a warm welcome in the country forging a new global partnership outside the West.
Xi Jinping’s carriage was escorted by members of the Saudi Royal Guard on Arabian horses and carrying Chinese and Saudi flags to the King’s Palace, and he later attended a reception banquet.
The Chinese leader held talks with the oil giant’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who greeted him with a warm smile. Xi ushered in “a new era” in Arab relations.
The display was in stark contrast to a low-key welcome in July by US President Joe Biden, with whom relations have been strained by Saudi energy policy and the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which overshadowed the awkward visit.
The U.S., seeing China’s growing influence and its ties with Riyadh to a rare degree, said on Wednesday that Xi’s visit was an example of Chinese efforts to expand influence around the world and the Middle East. will not change US policy.
A memorandum of understanding was agreed with China’s Huawei Technologies on cloud computing and the construction of high-tech complexes in Saudi cities, despite US unease with Gulf allies over the potential security risks of using the Chinese firm’s technology. Huawei has taken part in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite US concerns.
Prince Mohammed, with whom Biden bumped fists rather than shook hands in July, has made a comeback on the world stage after Khashoggi’s murder and pressure for oil supplies and Washington to help isolate Russia. He has opposed them in the face of American anger.
In further burnishing their international credentials, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said Thursday that the prince and the president of the United Arab Emirates had jointly led mediation efforts that resulted in American basketball star Brittany Greiner’s extradition to Russia. With the exchange of prisoners, the release was possible.
In an op-ed published in Saudi media, Xi said he was on an “important trip” to “launch a new era of China’s relations with the Arab world, the Arab countries of the Gulf and Saudi Arabia.”
Xi added that China and Arab countries “will continue to raise the flag of non-interference in internal affairs.”
Chinese state broadcaster said the sentiment was echoed by the crown prince, who said his country opposes “interference in China’s internal affairs in the name of human rights”.
Xi, due to meet with other Gulf oil producers and a large gathering of Arab leaders on Friday, said China plans to make the summits “milestone events in the history of Sino-Arab relations”. will work for and Beijing sees Riyadh as “an important Power in a Multipolar World”.
Other Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said they will not choose sides among world powers and are diversifying partners for national economic and security interests.
‘Trustworthy partner’
China, the world’s largest energy user, is a major trading partner of the Gulf states and bilateral ties have expanded as the region pursues economic diversification, prompting U.S. concerns about Chinese involvement in critical Gulf infrastructure. Temples are rising.
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said on Wednesday that Riyadh would remain a “reliable and reliable” energy partner for Beijing and that the two would boost energy supply cooperation by establishing a regional hub in the kingdom for Chinese factories.
Chinese and Saudi firms have signed 34 agreements to invest in green energy, information technology, cloud services, transport, construction and other sectors, state news agency SPA reported. He gave no figures but said earlier that the two countries would sign initial deals worth $30 billion.
Tang Tianbo, a Middle East expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) – a Chinese government-affiliated think tank – said the visit would further expand energy cooperation.
