Saudis roll out red carpet for China’s Xi

Saudi Arabia aims to increase trade with Beijing and discuss regional security when China’s president visits Riyadh this week, with the kingdom seeking to expand superpower ties beyond the increasingly fractious alliance with the United States.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to mark Xi Jinping’s arrival on Wednesday with a lavish welcome that diplomats in the region have said may contrast starkly with the muted reception offered to U.S. President Joe Biden in July.

Chafing at what it sees as American disengagement from the Middle East and the Biden administration’s hectoring about human rights, the world’s biggest oil exporter is reshaping its foreign policy to reflect the new realities of global power.

Besides rolling out the red carpet for bilateral meetings with Xi during his two-day visit, the Saudi rulers will also convene fellow Gulf dynasts for a summit with him, followed by a wider gathering with other Arab leaders.

That reflects what Saudi state news agency SPA described as the “strategic partnership” that is emerging between China and Saudi Arabia, its main oil supplier, after years of growing ties.

The United States, which for decades has been Saudi Arabia’s main security guarantor and which remains its main defence supplier, has expressed concerns about growing Chinese involvement in sensitive infrastructure projects in the Gulf.

Crown Prince Mohammed, better known as MBS, has resisted previous US efforts to constrain Saudi action and appeared to welcome the transactional approach of former US president Donald Trump.

The Chinese delegation this week is expected to sign agreements worth $30 billion with Saudi Arabia, SPA reported.

China sees Saudi Arabia as its key ally in the Middle East due to a shared suspicion of Western interference, especially on issues such as human rights.—