China’s Xi visits Saudi Arabia to cement Gulf Arab ties
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to his country’s energy supplies as Beijing tries to revive an economy battered by strict coronavirus measures. Saudi and Chinese flags flew Wednesday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, as he arrived. Gulf Arab states are trying to recalibrate their foreign policy as the United States turns its attention elsewhere in the world. Russia’s war on Ukraine — and the West’s hardening stance on Moscow — also has left the Arab states wanting to cement ties with China.
