Middle East foreign ministers head to China for meetings

BEIJING (AP) — Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern states are visiting China for meetings this week with officials from the world’s second largest economy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday gave no details of the agendas for the visits, but said they were expected to “deepen relations between the two sides.” The meetings running through Friday will include the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, along with the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council. China’s economy is heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas and Beijing has recently been competing with the U.S. for influence in the region. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran also said Iran’s top diplomat would be in China later this week.