Saudi Arabia has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Riyadh as the Kingdom, people familiar with the plan told the Wall Street Journal.
The visit could be President Xi’s first international trip since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“The crown prince and Xi are close friends and both understand that there is huge potential for stronger ties,” said a Saudi official to the Wall Street Journal. “It is not just ‘They buy oil from us and we buy weapons from them’.”
The U.S.-Saudi relationship remains strained after President Biden reportedly refused to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, instead insisting that communications take place with his direct counterpart, King Salman. As a candidate, Biden said, “I would make it very clear we were not going to in fact sell more weapons to them,” Biden said. “We were going to in fact make them pay the price, and make them in fact the pariah that they are.” Biden also said there is “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Kingdom has “a long, historical relationship with America….Our aim is to keep it and strengthen it.”
But he also told interviewer Graeme Wood, when asked whether Biden misunderstands something about him, “Simply, I do not care.” Alienating the Saudi monarchy, he suggested, would harm Biden’s position. “It’s up to him to think about the interests of America.” He gave a shrug. “Go for it.”
