BEIJING – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met China’s President XiJinping on Friday and bagged a $10-billion oil deal, pressing on with hisdiplomatic charm offensive in Asia following a global outcry over theKhashoggi killing.
Mohammed arrived in Beijing on Thursday following visits to Pakistan andIndia, showing the world that his country still has allies after the grislymurder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbulconsulate.
“China is a good friend and partner to Saudi Arabia,” Xi told Mohammed in ameeting in the Great Hall of the People.
“Saudi Arabia’s relations with China can be traced back a very long time inthe past,” the crown prince said.
“Over such a long period of exchanges with China, we have never experiencedany problems with China.”
He met with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng earlier on Friday.
“Is the crown prince’s tour symbolic of Saudi Arabia’s pivot to the East?Yes,” Najah al-Otaibi, a senior analyst at the pro-Saudi think-tank ArabiaFoundation, told AFP.
“Riyadh wants to strengthen alliances in Asia — especially now with thecontinuing fallout with the United States over Khashoggi’s murder and otherissues, and attempts by the EU to put Riyadh on a blacklist over moneylaundering allegations.”
Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the prince, was killed at the Saudi consulatein Istanbul in October, a murder that tarnished the image of the kingdomand of the crown prince in particular.
Riyadh initially denied the murder, then gave several conflicting accountsof Khashoggi’s death, and now claims he was killed in an unauthorisedoperation that did not involve Mohammed.
The murder sparked global indignation, with US lawmakers pushing forWashington to distance itself from the crown prince, but the White Househas maintained close relations with Riyadh, a major ally in the Middle East.
Separately, the European Commission wants to add Saudi Arabia to amoney-laundering blacklist of governments that do too little to thwart thefinancing of terrorism and organised crime.
But China is looking to strengthen its economic ties with the kingdom, asBeijing pursues its ambitious Belt and Road trade infrastructureinitiative, while Riyadh rolls out “Saudi Vision 2030” — the crownprince’s major programme to diversify the national economy away from oil.
Mohammed told the Chinese President they could join the two projects “torealise more progress and jointly confront challenges”.
Vice Premier Han suggested during his meeting with the crown prince thatthe two countries deepen partnerships in energy, infrastructureconstruction, finance, and high-tech.
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*Trade and security*——————————
Riyadh’s national oil giant Saudi Aramco said it had signed an agreement toform a Saudi-Chinese joint venture — worth more than $10 billion — todevelop a refining and petrochemical complex in northeastern Liaoningprovince.
The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority also announced the signingof 35 non-binding memorandums of understanding, including deals related toenergy, mining, transportation and e-commerce.
China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner.
“As the kingdom diversifies its non-oil economy, it needs a variety ofother investors with technical expertise, including the Chinese,” Otaibisaid.
“China steadfastly supports Saudi Arabia pushing a diversification of itseconomy and societal reforms,” Xi told Mohammed, according to statebroadcaster CCTV, adding he supported the hard work the kingdom hasundertaken to promote stability and safety at home.
National security is a potential area of cooperation between the Gulf stateand China.
The two countries should boost partnerships in counterterrorism and lawenforcement, and exchange experience on combating extremism, Han said inhis meeting with Mohammed, according to a report by the official Chinesenews agency Xinhua.
The Saudis said they “firmly supported” Beijing’s efforts to keep thecountry secure, and opposed “interference by external forces in China’sinternal affairs”, Xinhua added, paraphrasing remarks by the crown prince.
Riyadh has remained silent over China’s treatment of Uighurs and othermostly Muslim minorities in the far-western region of Xinjiang.
Up to one million Uighurs and other minorities are being held in internmentcamps in Xinjiang as part of a draconian anti-terror and anti-separatistcampaign, according to estimates cited by a UN panel.
“China has the right to take anti-terrorism and de-extremization measuresto safeguard national security,” Mohammed told Xi, according to CCTV.
“Saudi Arabia respects and supports it and is willing to strengthencooperation with China,” he said. -APP/AFP