Xi visits Saudi Arabia in an effort to promote the economy

This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Saudi Arabia for two regional summits as efforts to revive the economy are hampered by stringent anti-COVID-19 regulations.

The Saudi capital of Riyadh will host the first China-Arab States Summit and a meeting with the heads of the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council, according to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. On Saturday, his state visit to Saudi Arabia would come to a close.

According to Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, Xi's attendance at the China-Arab States Summit will mark the "largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China and will become an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations."

China, according to Mao, believes that the summit would establish a future course for bilateral ties and "help build more strategic mutual understandings on significant regional and international issues... and defend multilateralism."

The last seemed to be a reference to Beijing's efforts to overthrow the US-dominated international order, which have seen Beijing forge alliances with Iran, Russia, and other anti-US nations.

China is the second-largest economy in the world and a significant source of foreign investment, both of which are highlighted by Xi's recent "Global Development Initiative" and "Belt and Road Initiative," two of his signature initiatives. Through these initiatives, Beijing hopes to significantly increase its influence in the developing world by having Chinese enterprises construct and finance ports, power plants, roads, and other infrastructure throughout Asia and beyond.

They have so far had only sporadic success, despite claims that many of the initiatives are unrealistic, expensive, and out of reach for the primarily developing countries taking them on.

Half of China's oil is imported to meet the enormous demand. With tens of billions of dollars in annual imports, Saudi Arabia accounts for more than half of those imports.

Rolling lockdowns implemented nationwide in response to the COVID-19 outbreak inflicted a serious damage to China's economic growth, which had been steadily declining for years.

Although it increased from 2.2% in the first half of the year to 3.9% in the three months that ended in September, China's economic growth was still significantly behind the government's aim.

China issued a number of anti-COVID-19 measures on Wednesday, including a restriction on harsh lockdowns and an order for schools without known infections to resume regular courses.

Beijing is shielded from criticism over its harsh practices toward Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since China's governing Communist Party shares many of the authoritarian traits of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf regimes. More than a million people have been detained, where they claim they were made to renounce Islam and vow allegiance to Xi and the party.

Beijing disputes the accusations, claiming that it has been educating Muslims for the workforce and purging them of extremist, separatist, and terroristic tendencies.

Since there are no significant disagreements between them regarding human rights, the tone of Xi's visit is "expected to be substantially more positive" than that of U.S. President Joe Biden's earlier this year, according to a research by the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group.

However, the connection still needs to develop significantly before it can rival Saudi-US relations in depth and complexity, according to the report.

Even though Biden had previously vowed to hold Saudi Arabia's ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for the murder of a journalist working in the United States, his government this month asserted that the prince's high office should shield him from a lawsuit for his role. On Tuesday, a U.S. federal judge dismissed the complaint.

In return for Saudi Arabia maintaining the stability of the world's oil markets, the U.S. military has long protected Saudi Arabia from external adversaries.

After spending the majority of the year inside China, Xi is making further efforts to reclaim his international standing with the trip to Saudi Arabia. This is only Xi's third international trip since the beginning of 2020.

It also occurs amid concerns about the public's support for Xi, who has ruthlessly suppressed free expression and expelled political opponents. The most significant public challenge to Xi's reign occurred last month during mass rallies against "zero-COVID" rules, which may have led to some restrictions being eased. Xi was given a third five-year term as leader in October.

Construction companies and the telecoms giant Huawei are just two examples of the Chinese enterprises that have grown to be significant players in Saudi Arabia's effort to modernize its infrastructure. More agreements are anticipated to be made during Xi's visit, especially in the defense industry, where Saudi Arabia has showed signs of reducing its reliance on the United States.

The Eurasia Group reported that "the Saudi visit will allow Xi to be the center of attention and regional leaders will be open to the Chinese perspective." Beijing will not be unaware that these discussions are taking place in the midst of strained relations between the Mideast's capitals and Washington.