Xi Jinping to visit Saudi Arabia, amid frayed ties with the US
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a two-day state visit amid high tensions between the United States and the two countries.
Xi Jinping's trip to Saudi Arabia will include a China-Arab summit and a China-GCC conference, according to the four sources.
At least 14 Arab heads of state are expected to attend the China-Arab summit, according to the Arab diplomatic source who described the trip as a 'milestone' for Arab-Chinese ties.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Rumors of a Chinese presidential visit to the US’ largest Middle East ally have been circulating for months, but are yet to be confirmed by the governments of Saudi Arabia and China.
China has not made an official announcement that Xi inping will visit Saudi Arabia.
Previous week, the Saudi government sent out registration forms for reporters to cover the summit, without confirming the exact dates.
Reports of the long-awaited visit come against the backdrop of a number of disagreements harbored by the United States toward both Beijing and Riyadh, which to Washington's dismay have only solidified ties in recent years.
The United States and Saudi Arabia are still embroiled in a heated spat over oil production, which in October culminated in strong rhetoric and traded accusations when the Saudi-led oil cartel OPEC+ slashed output by two million barrels per day in an effort to 'stabilize' prices. The decision was taken despite heavy US campaigning against it.
A strong United States ally for eight long decades, Saudi Arabia has become bitter over what it perceives to be waning US security presence in the region, especially amid growing threats from Iran and its armed Yemeni proxies.
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