After meeting Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed a new era in the China-Saudi relationship, as the two leaders signed partnership deals in Riyadh.
What Happened: Xi wrote in a piece published in Saudi Arabia's state media: "The visit will carry forward our traditional friendship and usher in a new era in China's relations with the Arab world, with Arab states of the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. See also: White House Disputes Saudi, UAE Involvement Claims In Brittney Griner s Release From Russia
The Chinese president is currently in Riyadh as he hopes to strengthen ties with the Gulf nation amid souring US-Saudi relations.
Before he landed on Wednesday evening, Xi's plane was ceremoniously escorted by Saudi Arabian jets. Prince Mohammed rolled out a red carpet for him at a royal palace and a guard of honor before Thursday s meeting.
Experts believe that Xi's trip will allow China and Saudi to showcase their deepening ties and highlight how far the U.S.- Saudi relations have sunk.
The U.S. said it would observe the visit, which came months after President Joe Biden visited the Gulf nation, where he told the leaders that the U.S. would not leave a vacuum in the region for China, Russia, and Iran.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said we are mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world.
He said that the Middle East is one of those areas where they want to deepen their influence.
The two leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement that would see them meet every two years, according to Chinese and Saudi media. They also signed 34 investment deals in the technology and energy sectors, including a memorandum of understanding between Huawei and Saudi to establish 10 gigabits-per-second-speed mobile internet and a cloud-computing facility.
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