Chinese and Saudi flags floated on Wednesday, December 7, along the avenues of Riyadh to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Saudi Arabia for meetings with the leaders of the region dominated by energy issues, in the midst of a crisis linked to the war in Ukraine.

The leader of the world's second largest economy has landed in Riyadh, the capital of the oil-rich Gulf monarchy.

Xi Jinping's photo dominated the front pages of local dailies, which highlight the potential economic benefits of the visit.

#VIDEO: #China's President Xi Jinping arrives at #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/4hOstT683G

— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) December 7, 2022

Bilateral meetings and two summits

The Asian giant and the Gulf country, its main oil supplier, seem to want to strengthen their relations in a context of economic uncertainties and geopolitical realignment.

This is Xi Jinping's third trip abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and his first to Saudi Arabia since 2016.

During the three-day trip, bilateral meetings are scheduled with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.

A summit is also to be held on Friday with the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and another with Arab leaders, Saudi state media said.

It is "the biggest diplomatic activity between China and the Arab world since the establishment of the People's Republic of China," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

Beijing, the first trading partner of the Gulf countries

Energy is expected to dominate discussions between the world's largest exporter of crude oil and China, the largest importer of black gold.

The G7 and the European Union introduced last Friday a cap on the price of Russian oil for export at 60 dollars a barrel, with the aim of depriving Moscow of the means to finance the war in Ukraine, creating new uncertainties on the global market.

On Sunday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, and their allies, led by Russia (OPEC+), agreed to stay on the course decided in October of a reduction of two million barrels per day until the end of 2023.

The agenda for the visit has not been released, but Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, said he expected "a number of agreements to be signed".

Beyond energy, the discussions could focus on the involvement of Chinese companies in the megaprojects carried by the Saudi crown prince.

These projects include a $500 billion futuristic city called Neom, which will harness facial recognition and other surveillance technologies, widely used in China.

According to the Saudi news agency SPA, Saudi Arabia attracted more than 20% of Chinese investment in the Arab world between 2002 and 2020, which is in fact the largest recipient in the region.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Nayef al-Hajraf, for his part, stressed the importance of Friday's summit with the six Gulf countries, saying China is their biggest trading partner.

The regional bloc wants to "strengthen cooperation" in the areas of economy, development and trade, among others, he added.

A visit scrutinized by Washington

Xi Jinping's visit will undoubtedly be followed closely by the United States, strategic partners of the Gulf countries, in particular Saudi Arabia.

The relationship between the two countries, often described as an "oil for security" agreement, was sealed after the Second World War.

The drop in production decided in October by the oil-exporting countries, however, angered Washington, which denounced an "alignment with Russia".

For its part, Riyadh has in the past criticized Washington for not fulfilling its part of the bargain, especially after attacks on the kingdom carried out by Houthi rebels from neighboring Yemen in September 2019.

But even if Saudi Arabia cooperates with China on arms sales and production, Beijing cannot provide it with the same security guarantees as Washington, analysts say.

But the Saudis could seek "to obtain more security guarantees from the United States" by showing "the possibility of strengthening their ties with China", underlines Torbjorn Soltvedt, of the Verisk Maplecroft risk consultancy. .

With AFP

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