Riyadh has remained silent over China's treatment of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in the far-western region of Xinjiang. Up to one million Uighurs and other minorities are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang as part of a draconian anti-terror and anti-separatist campaign, according to estimates cited by a UN panel. - AFP

BEIJING: Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met China's President Xi Jinping on Friday and
bagged a $10-billion oil deal, pressing on with his diplomatic charm offensive
in Asia. Prince Mohammed arrived in Beijing on Thursday following visits to
Pakistan and India. "China is a good friend and partner to Saudi
Arabia," Xi told Prince Mohammed in a meeting in the Great Hall of the
People. "Saudi Arabia's relations with China can be traced back a very
long time in the past," the crown prince said. "Over such a long
period of exchanges with China, we have never experienced any problems with
China." He met with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng earlier on Friday.

"Is the
crown prince's tour symbolic of Saudi Arabia's pivot to the East? Yes,"
Najah Al-Otaibi, a senior analyst at the pro-Saudi think-tank Arabia
Foundation, told AFP. "Riyadh wants to strengthen alliances in Asia -
especially now with the continuing fallout with the United States over (Saudi
journalist Jamal) Khashoggi's murder and other issues and attempts by the EU to
put Riyadh on a black list over money laundering allegations."

But China is
looking to strengthen its economic ties with the kingdom, as Beijing pursues
its ambitious Belt and Road trade infrastructure initiative, while Riyadh rolls
out "Saudi Vision 2030" - the crown prince's major program to
diversify the national economy away from oil. Mohammed told the Chinese
President they could join the two projects "to realise more progress and
jointly confront challenges". Vice Premier Han suggested during his
meeting with the crown prince that the two countries deepen partnerships in
energy, infrastructure construction, finance, and high-tech.

Riyadh's national
oil giant Saudi Aramco said it had signed an agreement to form a Saudi-Chinese
joint venture - worth more than $10 billion - to develop a refining and
petrochemical complex in northeastern Liaoning province. The Saudi Arabian
General Investment Authority also announced the signing of 35 non-binding
memorandums of understanding, including deals related to energy, mining,
transportation and e-commerce. China is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner.
"As the kingdom diversifies its non-oil economy, it needs a variety of
other investors with technical expertise, including the Chinese," Otaibi
said.

"China
steadfastly supports Saudi Arabia pushing a diversification of its economy and
societal reforms," Xi told Mohammed, according to state broadcaster CCTV,
adding he supported the hard work the kingdom has undertaken to promote
stability and safety at home. National security is a potential area of
cooperation between the Gulf state and China.

The two countries
should boost partnerships in counterterrorism and law enforcement, and exchange
experience on combating extremism, Han said in his meeting with Prince
Mohammed, according to a report by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua. The
Saudis said they "firmly supported" Beijing's efforts to keep the
country secure, and opposed "interference by external forces in China's
internal affairs", Xinhua added, paraphrasing remarks by the crown prince.

Riyadh has
remained silent over China's treatment of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim
minorities in the far-western region of Xinjiang. Up to one million Uighurs and
other minorities are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang as part of a
draconian anti-terror and anti-separatist campaign, according to estimates
cited by a UN panel. - AFP