RIYADH, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, state media reported, for what Beijing is touting as its most important diplomatic move in the Arab world, as Riyadh seeks to diversify its alliances.
The rapprochement between China, the world’s second largest economy, and Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, is taking place in a context of tensions between Riyadh and Washington since the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but also more recently the decision of OPEC+ to reduce its crude production to support prices in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, whom Joe Biden had promised to treat as an “outcast” because of his alleged responsibility for the assassination of Khashoggi in Turkey, before changing his mind, planned to welcome Xi Jinping with great fanfare, unlike his treatment of the American president during his visit to Riyadh in July.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Xi Jinping is due to hold bilateral talks with Saudi officials and the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council petro-monarchies.
The Chinese president will also attend an Arab leaders’ summit, which will mark “a historic milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations” and which Beijing hopes will send a strong message of “unity and cooperation”. added spokeswoman Mao Ning.
For Saudi Arabia, annoyed by American criticism of respect for human rights and Washington’s disengagement in the Middle East, particularly in the face of Iran, the rapprochement with China makes it possible to develop economic ties without counterparts .
“Beijing does not impose political demands or expectations on its partners and refrains from interfering in their internal affairs”, summarizes the Saudi editorialist Abdoulrahmane Al Rashed in the columns of the Asharq Al Awsat newspaper.
Unlike the United States, China has good relations with Iran, from which it also buys oil, and has never sought to influence security in the region openly, including when Tehran openly threatened to bomb the Saudi oil wells.
But Riyadh benefits from the development of a privileged economic relationship with Beijing, of which it is the leading oil supplier. According to the official Saudi agency SPA, China is expected to sign contracts worth 30 billion dollars during Xi Jinping’s visit.
Despite the reluctance expressed by Washington, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors therefore intend to continue strengthening their ties with Beijing, particularly in the field of infrastructure and technology, as part of the policy of diversifying their economy in prediction of the end of the era of fossil fuels. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing, with Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai; writing by Dominic Evans; French version Tangi Salaün, editing by Kate Entringer)