Xi Jinping heads to Riyadh in boost for China’s ties with the Middle East
- While US relations with Saudi Arabia are at an all-time low, Beijing is looking to deepen cooperation in the region on all fronts
- The Chinese president will attend two summits with Arab countries and the Gulf states during his first visit to the kingdom since 2016
China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday morning that Xi will attend two summits with Arab countries and the Gulf states during his first visit to the kingdom since 2016. He will be in Saudi Arabia until December 10.
The China-Arab Countries summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council summit are the first of their kind between China and the Middle East countries and build on the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum, the dialogue mechanism set up in 2004.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also confirmed Xi’s visit, at the invitation of King Salman. “The two summits will discuss ways to enhance joint relations in all fields, and discuss prospects for economic and development cooperation,” it said.
The official Saudi Press Agency said the trip “represents keenness of the leaderships of the two countries to strengthen bilateral relations and their strategic partnership and to invest their political and economic potential in serving their common interests”.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will attend the China-Arab summit, according to Egyptian media, while Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani have already arrived in Riyadh.