Chinese President Xi Jinping offers support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite outcry over Khashoggi killing
- Beijing shrugs off controversy over journalist’s murder and war in Yemen to support kingdom’s de facto leader at G20 meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered his support to Saudi Arabia’s embattled Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of the international outcry over the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Xi met the prince on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday and said China would support the kingdom’s economic development, adding that stability was the cornerstone for prosperity and progress in the Gulf.
Xi said in a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry that Beijing was taking a “strategic high view and long-term perspective”.
“China firmly supports Saudi Arabia in its push for economic diversification and social reforms, and provides mutual support on issues involving their core interests,” he continued.
The statement did not mention the Khashoggi murder or the ongoing conflict in Yemen, where Saudi forces have played a leading role.