But China is looking to strengthen its economic ties with the kingdom, as Beijing pursues its ambitious Belt and Road trade infrastructure initiative, while Riyadh rolls out Saudi Vision 2030 -- the crown prince’s major programme to diversify the national economy away from oil.
Beijing: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Friday with China’s President Xi Jinping and bagged a $10 billion oil deal, pressing on with his diplomatic charm offensive in Asia following a global outcry over the Khashoggi killing.
"Is the crown prince’s tour symbolic of Saudi Arabia’s pivot to the East? Yes," Najah al-Otaibi, a senior analyst at the pro-Saudi think-tank Arabia Foundation, told AFP.
"Riyadh wants to strengthen alliances in Asia -- especially now with the continuing fallout with the United States over Khashoggi’s murder and other issues and attempts by the EU to put Riyadh on a black list over money laundering allegations," she said.
But China is looking to strengthen its economic ties with the kingdom, as Beijing pursues its ambitious Belt and Road trade infrastructure initiative, while Riyadh rolls out "Saudi Vision 2030" -- the crown prince’s major programme to diversify the national economy away from oil.
Riyadh’s national oil giant Saudi Aramco said it had signed an agreement to form a Saudi-Chinese joint venture -- worth more than $10 billion -- to develop a refining and petrochemical complex in northeastern Liaoning province.
The Saudis said it "firmly supported" Beijing’s efforts to keep the country secure, and opposed "interference by external forces in China’s internal affairs", said Xinhua, paraphrasing remarks from the crown prince.