Xi Jinping Saudi Trip Could Take Place This Week

According to an unnamed Saudi source quoted by JPost and picked up by Politico, a trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia is still expected to take place this week despite refutation from Chinese officials.

• Cheng Wang of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded to a Guardian report which broke the story last week: "Curious to know how much the Guardian or Reuters pay for such gossip. I may demand half price and at least guarantee the authenticity. Visit? Daydream."
• JPost: "The [Saudi] source expects that the visit “will witness the signing of more economic agreements on a number of axes, most notably energy and food security, in addition to more agreements in various fields of science and others.”"
• Ahmed al-Faraj, a Saudi professor of international relations: “The upcoming visit, if it takes place, will have great implications, most notably for what Saudi-American relations are going through in terms of great coldness, which is reflected in Washington's role in the region.”
• Politico writes: "Xi can expect a full helping of Saudi diplomatic pomp and ceremony in contrast to Biden’s low-profile visit, punctuated by an awkward fist bump with MBS, as the Crown Prince is known. Instead ofpesky questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, Xi will get a red-carpet welcome and likely respond with a full-throated affirmation of deepening Saudi-Chinese ties."
• If the visit goes ahead it will be Xi's first international trip since 2020, and Saudi Arabia will be a highly symbolic choice of destination considering the historical role of Saudi Arabia as a longtime US ally in the region.