Saudi Arabia gathers China president Xi with Arab leaders in 'new era' of ties

RIYADH – Chinese President Xi Jinping met Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh on Friday in the first of two milestone Arab summits showcasing Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as an aspiring leader of the Middle East and key partner for global powers.

Mr Xi, who has been welcomed in Saudi Arabia with pomp and ceremony, signed a strategic partnership pact with the worlds top oil exporter a day before Fridays meeting with the energy-rich, six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

He was due to hold wider talks later with leaders of Arab League states spanning the Gulf, Levant and Africa.

The United States is warily watching the growing influence of economic rival Beijing in the region, where China has vested interest as the worlds biggest energy consumer and Chinese firms are expanding into technology and other infrastructure.

Mr Xis visit also comes at a time when Riyadhs long-standing alliance with Washington has been strained over human rights issues, energy policy and Russia, as well as Gulf doubts about the commitment of main security guarantor America to the region.

At the start of the China-GCC summit, Prince Mohammed heralded a historic new phase of relations with China.

He earlier pledged that Gulf states would remain a safe and reliable source to supply the world with its energy needs, underlining that oil and gas would continue to be important energy sources for decades.

In a lengthy joint statement, Beijing and Riyadh committed to enhance cooperation and stressed principles of sovereignty and non-interference, while affirming the importance of a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict.

Saudi Arabia and Gulf allies have defied US pressure to break with fellow OPEC+ oil producer Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and to limit dealings with China, as they try to navigate a polarised world order with an eye on national economic and security interests.

Oil giant Saudi Arabia is a top supplier to China and the joint statement reaffirmed the importance of global market stability and energy collaboration, while striving to boost non-oil trade and enhance cooperation in peaceful nuclear power.

The two sides reaffirmed that they will continue to firmly support each others core interests, the statement read.

In a nod to Gulf security concerns over Iran, another important oil supplier to China and with whom Beijing has good ties, they agreed the need to strengthen joint cooperation to ensure the peaceful nature of Irans nuclear programme and for Teheran to respect principles of good-neighbourliness.

Riyadh also voiced support for Beijings One China policy on the issue of Taiwan. Mr Xi invited King Salman to visit China, Saudi state television reported. More On This Topic A big leap forward in China-Arab relations? Saudi Arabia signs Huawei deal, deepening China ties on Xi visit Milestones Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December. PHOTO: REUTERS The Chinese leader said his visit heralded a new era in relations. China looks forward to working with Saudi Arabia and Arab states to turn the two summits into milestone events in the history of China-Arab relations and China-GCC relations, and bring these relations to new heights, the foreign ministry cited Mr Xi as saying.

Qatars emir, Kuwaits crown prince, the kings of Bahrain and Jordan and presidents of Egypt, Tunisia, Djibouti, Somalia and Mauritania are among rulers attending alongside leaders and prime ministers of Iraq, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan and Lebanon.

Ahead of the summits, Mr Xi held bilateral talks with leaders from Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Palestine.

Diplomats said the Chinese delegation would sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with several states in addition to Saudi Arabia, which inked an MOU with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities.

The Chinese tech giant has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite US concerns over a possible security risk in using its technology. REUTERS More On This Topic Saudi Arabia extends lavish welcome as Chinas Xi heralds new era in relations Chinas Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi on epoch-making visit to deepen economic and strategic ties