China’s Xi to visit Saudi Arabia to cement Gulf Arab ties

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be arriving to Saudi Arabia to attend meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to his country’s energy supplies as Beijing tries to revive an economy battered by strict coronavirus measures. Saudi and Chinese flags flew  on Wednesday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, ahead of the visit. Gulf Arab states are trying to recalibrate their foreign policy as the United States turns its attention to elsewhere in the world. Russia’s war on Ukraine — and the West’s hardening stance on Moscow — also has left the Arab states wanting to cement ties with China.