China and Saudi Arabia Fortify Bilateral Ties to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership'

JAKARTADAILY.ID – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have agreed to hold summits every two years.

In a meeting in Riyadh on Thursday Xi and Mohamed Bin Salman also " upgraded" the China-Saudi relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The two-year regular summits between their leaders are for solidifying ties between the world’s No. 2 economy and its top supplier of oil.

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The two nations also signed a slew of energy and investment pacts, though details on those were scant. They announced plans to synchronize Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure program with the kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to wean the economy off a reliance on oil.

Xi and Prince Mohammed “reviewed aspects of partnership and joint coordination efforts,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Xinhua said Xi agreed to help boost Chinese tourism to the Middle Eastern nation and expand cultural links. The Chinese leader is set to meet a broader range of Arab leaders on Friday.

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The two countries will strengthen collaboration at the United Nations, the Group of 20, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Xi wrote in an editorial in the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh.

Taken together, the moves show a willingness for the two countries to strengthen relations just as both see ties with the US cool.

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