Xi Jinping is visiting two regional summits in Saudi Arabia this week to boost economic growth slowed by anti-COVID-19 measures.
Foreign Ministry: Xi will attend the first China-Arab States Summit and meet with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in Riyadh. His state visit ends Saturday.
Xi's presence at the China-Arab States Summit is the "biggest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China," a Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
China expects the summit would define a future agenda for relations and "help build more strategic mutual understandings on critical regional and international issues"
The last was an apparent reference to China's efforts to disrupt the U.S.-dominated international order by allying with Russia, Iran, and other hostile states.
Xi's visit highlights China's importance as the world's second-largest economy and a key source of outward investment. These programs aim to have Chinese corporations build and fund infrastructure across Asia and beyond, enhancing Beijing's influence in the developing world.
So far, they've had limited success, with several poor nations accusing the initiatives of being impractical, exorbitant, and unaffordable.
China imports half of its oil to meet demand. Half of these imports, worth tens of billions of dollars, come from Saudi Arabia.
China's economic growth had been declining for years before the COVID-19 outbreak imposed sweeping lockdowns across the country.
In the three months ending in September, Chinese economic growth improved to 3.9% from 2.2% in the first half of the year, but still below the government objective.
China rolled back some of its most extreme anti-COVID-19 rules on Wednesday, including restricting lockdowns and ordering schools without known infections to continue lessons.
China's ruling Communist Party shares many of Saudi Arabia's authoritarian traits, protecting Beijing from criticism over its harsh policies toward Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. Over a million have been transferred to detention cells where they allege being forced to reject Islam and swear devotion to Xi and the party.
Beijing dismisses the accusations, saying it provides employment training and rids Muslims of radical, separatist, and terroristic tendencies.
With no big disputes on human rights, Xi's visit is "expected to be substantially more positive" than Biden's earlier this year, Eurasia Group said.
"The relationship still has a long way to go," the study added.
Despite Biden's prior pledges to hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the killing of a U.S. journalist, his government claimed the prince's high rank should shield him from a lawsuit. A judge dismissed the claim Tuesday.
In exchange for Saudi Arabia's oil, the U.S. military has long protected Saudi Arabia from external enemies.
Xi's travel to Saudi Arabia is a bid to reestablish his global stature after spending the pandemic in China. Xi's third overseas trip since 2020.
It also raises issues about public support for Xi, who has stifled free expression and purged political adversaries. Xi was granted a third five-year term as leader in October, but popular protests over "zero-COVID" regulations last month may have spurred a softening of some measures.
Construction businesses and Huawei are important stakeholders in Saudi Arabia's infrastructure upgrading. More deals are anticipated to be struck during Xi's visit, especially in defense, where Saudi Arabia is shifting away from U.S. dependence.
“The Saudi visit will allow Xi to be the center of attention,” Eurasia Group stated. Beijing will note that these discussions come amid strained Mideast-U.S. relations.
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