Xi to attend 2 regional summits in Saudi Arabia

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Xi to attend 2 regional summits in Saudi Arabia

BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is attending a pair of regional summits in Saudi Arabia this week amid efforts to kick-start economic growth which has been weighed down by strict anti-COVID 19 measures.

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Xi will be at the inaugural China-Arab States Summit and a meeting with leaders of the six nations that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. China is the second largest economy in the world and a major source of outward investment. China's economic growth had fallen steadily for years and was dealt a major blow by rolling lockdowns imposed across the country as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Chinese economic growth rebounded to 3.9 per cent over a year earlier in the three months ending September, up from the first half of the year's 2.2 per cent, but still well short of the government target.