The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping,
arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Wednesday. He met with Saudi
King Salman bin Abdul Aziz on Thursday at al-Yamamah Palace. What does Xi
Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia mean for the United States?
The Chinese president was welcomed by Prince Faisal bin
Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the governor of the Riyadh region and Prince Faisal bin
Farhan bin Abdullah, the Saudi foreign minister. A purple carpet was rolled out
for Xi Jinping. His welcome was different from US President Joe Biden’s trip to
Riyadh this summer. Biden’s visit was marked by an awkward fist-bump from an
unsmiling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He visited the Kingdom to talk
about global oil prices. However, the Kingdom announced a limited increase in
oil production. Later on, the Kingdom announced its decision to cut down its
oil production, which created a rift between the two countries.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi comes in a critical situation.
According to CNN, Xi Jinping’s visit will also include a China-Arab summit and
a China-Gulf Cooperation Council conference. Reportedly, the Kingdom and China
are planning to sign agreements worth at least $30 billion.
The head of Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group,
Ayham Kamel, told Reuters that the expansion of ties between Saudi Arabia and
China could potentially create a further rift in the US-Saudi relationship.
According to WION, Saudi Arabia’s human rights record
emerged as an issue in the US-Saudi relationship, especially after the alleged
assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Earlier, the Biden administration held Prince Mohammed
responsible for the murder of the journalist. However, last month, the US said
that Mohammed bin Salman had immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of
Khashoggi.
The Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom will run until
December 9. It is interesting to see what the future holds for the two
countries.
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