China vows to boost ties with Saudi Arabia amid growing turmoil in Middle East
Beijing supports kingdom’s efforts to safeguard sovereignty, achieve greater development, president quoted as saying
China on Thursday vowed to strengthen its cooperation with Saudi Arabia at a time when the Middle Eastern kingdom is facing a political shake-up at home, and heightened tensions with Lebanon and Iran.
No matter how the international and regional situation changed, China’s determination to deepen strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia would not change, President Xi Jinping told Saudi King Salman in a telephone conversation, according to a report by China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
“China supports Saudi in its efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and achieve greater development,” Xi was quoted as saying.
King Salman told Xi that Saudi Arabia was willing to become China’s “important partner” in the Gulf. The kingdom also intended to play a role in China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and cooperate with Beijing in the energy and financial sectors, he said.
The CCTV report did not mention the international or regional situation, but the telephone call came after a large-scale corruption purge in Saudi Arabia and the sudden resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, which sparked a new round of political crises in the region.
