CNN
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Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday for a multi-day visit, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
Saudi state television shows Xi descending the stairs of the presidential jet at King Khalid International Airport, where Riyadh Region Governor Crown Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz and Saudi Foreign Minister He was greeted by Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.
A purple carpet was rolled out for the Chinese president and a cannon was fired.
The visit will include a “Saudi-Chinese summit,” China-Arab and China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summits, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) previously reported.
Rumors of a Chinese president’s visit to the US’s largest Middle Eastern ally have been circulating for months as the countries solidify their ties, perhaps to Washington’s dismay.
Indeed, the White House said Wednesday that it would not be surprising for Xi to make a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia as Beijing grapples with expanding its influence in the Middle East.
“We are mindful of China’s growing influence around the world,” said John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council.
Xi Jinping’s visit comes against the backdrop of many US disagreements with both Beijing and Riyadh, including grievances over oil production, human rights and other issues.
But Saudi Arabia’s grand reception of the Chinese president is only symbolic of the growing relationship, especially around oil, trade and security. The two countries will sign a deal worth more than her $29 billion during this week’s visit, according to the SPA.
China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner today, with significant Saudi exports to China Beyond Last year’s exports were worth $50 billion, accounting for more than 18% of Saudi Arabia’s total exports in 2021. Bilateral trade between the two states is more than $80 billion, he SPA reports.
Saudi Arabia has also traditionally been China’s largest oil supplier, with Saudi barrels accounting for about 17% of China’s total oil imports as of last year, according to Saudi-backed Arab News.
The kingdom remains a major supplier to its Chinese partners, but oil relations may be slightly strained this year as sanctioned Russia dumps barrels into Asian markets at discounted prices.
Apart from oil exports, Saudi Arabia has increased investment from China this year, resulting in Aramco’s massive $10 billion investment in refineries and petrochemical complexes in northeast China.
These close ties have been forged over the years, as are the two countries Diversified Their security and energy sources, according to experts.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, the bilateral relationship between the two countries is now at its climax,” said Xiaojin Chai, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
“They will come closer because they need each other in many areas such as the energy transition, economic diversification, KSA defense capability building and climate change, just to name a few,” Chai said. with reference to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, He added, “The diversification of security risks entails including China’s rise in the KSA’s hedges.”
Friendships between China and Saudi Arabia have blossomed for decades, but the two appear to have grown closer as they find themselves in a precarious position regarding the United States.
Saudi Arabia, a strong U.S. ally for 80 years, perceives the U.S. security presence in the region to be weakening amid growing threats from Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. It’s getting bitter.
China, the economic powerhouse in the East, is at odds with the United States over Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 24 million people, which Beijing has never ruled, despite its territorial claims. claims to be.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to support Taiwan in the event of an attack by China, but has not ruled out using force to “reunite” with Taiwan.
The troubling topic has seriously soured precarious relations between Washington and Beijing, which are already vying for influence in the volatile Middle East.
Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, added Wednesday that “the Middle East is definitely one of the regions where they (China) want to deepen their level of influence.”
“It’s probably not surprising that President Xi Jinping has traveled to the Middle East, and it’s no surprise that he chose to go there,” he said.
Kirby added that the US strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia continues despite the oil production disagreements.
And he said it was up to Riyadh and Beijing to make their own decisions on bilateral relations.
“Sovereign states have every right to maintain bilateral relations as they see fit,” he said. “We will let China and Saudi Arabia speak for themselves on this particular visit. We are not asking each country to choose between the United States and China.”
Meanwhile, China has also strengthened its ties with other Gulf monarchies and US enemies Iran and Russia.
Jonathan Fulton, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, said: “If the two countries have anything to say to the world, it’s largely about the importance of the deep interest-based relationship they have. I think it means that it is a country with a lot of energy,” he said.
“At a time when negative perceptions of China dominate much of the West, President Xi will be generously welcomed in Saudi Arabia. It is an important country and a major actor in global energy markets,” Fulton said. told CNN.
“And Saudi Arabia can show that even if its relationship with Washington is fragile, it is still important to powers outside the region,” he added.