Xi lands in Riyadh amid Saudi Arabia’s fractured relations with China’s arch-foe U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Saudi Arabia for a visit hailed as “epochal” by Beijing, while proximity between Beijing and Riyadh is increasing amid the Arab kingdom’s deteriorating ties with the United States, particularly on account of the Saudi one Oil production throttling support.

The Chinese leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend the first China-Arab countries summit and a meeting with leaders of the six-member Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the capital Riyadh before concluding his visit on Saturday said China’s Foreign Ministry. According to Saudi state media, the Chinese delegation is expected to do $30 billion worth of deals with Riyadh during the visit.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), the de facto ruler of the Arab kingdom, is expected to give the Chinese President a lavish welcome, in contrast to the shy reception given to US President Joe Biden, whose criticism of MbS denied set the stage for a tense meeting in July. Tensions are rising between longtime partners Washington and Riyadh over the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel’s coordination to cut oil production.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Allies (OPEC+), which includes the 13 OPEC countries and 11 non-members including Russia, announced the production cut in October. The group agreed to cut production by two million barrels a day from November, equivalent to two percent of global supply. Saudi Arabia is a top producer in OPEC+. The move came despite Biden’s request to boost production to tame energy prices.

Xi’s bilateral talks with Saudi leaders, particularly MbS, and the Chinese president’s attendance at the GCC summit and meeting with its leaders would be “an epochal milestone in the history of the development of Sino-Arab relations,” said China’s foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning.

China hopes it will make a strong statement promoting “unity and cooperation,” Mao said, adding that Beijing also hopes the GCC summit will help build “more strategic common understandings on important regional and international issues.” … and to defend multilateralism”.

Earlier in the day, Washington slammed Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia as an example of Chinese attempts to exert influence, saying such an attempt would not change US policy towards the Middle East. “We are aware of the influence that China is trying to expand around the world,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.

China, the world’s largest energy consumer and global economic powerhouse, is a key trading partner for the Persian Gulf’s oil and gas producers. Growing ties between Beijing and Riyadh, a Persian Gulf energy giant, are raising Washington’s concerns about expanding Chinese involvement in sensitive infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia, as China’s top oil supplier, will remain a “trusted and reliable” energy partner for China and that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in energy supply chains by forming a regional hub for Chinese factories in Saudi Arabia. would strengthen Arabia. While Saudi officials noted that regional security would be on the agenda during Xi’s visit, China is trying to boost economic growth weighed down by tough anti-COVID-19 measures.

On Wednesday, the Chinese government announced it would relax some of its toughest anti-COVID-19 restrictions, including capping strict lockdowns and ordering schools with no reported infections to resume regular classes.