Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Riyadh on Wednesday
The tour of the Chinese leader coincides with the increased tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia over issues like regional security, human rights and energy policy.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on his three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, his first such visit to the biggest exporter of crude oil since 2016, reported the Saudi state media on Tuesday. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to mark Xi's arrival with a lavish welcome. Diplomats in the region are saying that it may contrast starkly with the muted reception offered to US President Joe Biden in July.
During the visit, a bilateral summit will be held chaired by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and will be attended by the kingdom's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reported the official Saudi Press Agency.
The state news agency stated that Xi will also take part in a summit which will be attended by the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council's ruler and hold talks which will see the participation of leaders from the Middle East, stated the state news agency.
The tour of the Chinese leader coincides with the increased tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia over issues like regional security, human rights and energy policy.
The partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia suffered the latest blow in October when it was agreed by the OPEC+ oil bloc to decrease production by two million barrels per day, a step the White House claimed amounted to "aligning with Russia" on the Ukraine war.
OPEC+ on Sunday decided to keep those cuts unchanged. China is the biggest customer of Saudi Arabia's crude oil and has been purchasing around a quarter of the exported Saudi oil.
According to the analysts, the two leaders, apart from energy, will be discussing potential deals which can lead to Chinese firms' deeper involvement in mega-projects which are part of Prince Mohammed's vision of diversifying the economy of Saudi Arabia beyond oil.
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