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China and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic Partnership as Xi Visits Kingdom

The Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s trip to Saudi Arabia showcases Beijing’s growing ties with the kingdom, a longtime American ally that is seeking greater self-reliance.

By Vivian Nereim

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia and China signed a strategic partnership agreement on Thursday during a visit by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the kingdom, underlining the growing ties between Beijing and a longstanding American ally that is seeking greater self-reliance.

Mr. Xi held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 37, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, in the first of a series of summits planned for the Chinese president’s three-day visit. After his bilateral meetings with Saudi officials, Mr. Xi is expected to attend twin summits with leaders from other Gulf, Arab and African countries, including Egypt, Djibouti and Iraq. The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, is also expected to join.

“This will be the largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, told reporters on Wednesday. “It will be an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations.”

Saudi Arabia has long been a close ally of the United States, but its ties to China have been strengthening rapidly, turning what was once a mostly oil-based relationship into a more complex one involving arms sales, technology transfers and infrastructure projects. That shift predates the leadership of Prince Mohammed, who became heir to the throne in 2017: China eclipsed the United States as Saudi Arabia’s main trading partner years ago.

But Prince Mohammed has accelerated efforts to diversify Saudi Arabia’s alliances, trying to move beyond its reliance on the United States as its main security guarantor and weapons supplier to forge a more independent path.

Some of that is because of growing perceptions among officials, scholars and businesspeople in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East that the United States has lost interest in their region and is a superpower in long-term decline.

“I still think that the world is living within an American international security order,” though it is “stumbling quite frequently,” said Mohammed Alyahya, a Saudi fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. “The worry is what will come in five years or 10 years.”

Saudi Arabia’s ties with the United States have been especially strained in the past few years, with President Biden pledging on the campaign trail to treat the kingdom like a “pariah” and pressing Prince Mohammed about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi , a Washington Post columnist and Saudi citizen killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul in 2018.

Early in his administration, Mr. Biden released a U.S. intelligence report that said Prince Mohammed had most likely ordered the killing — a charge the crown prince denies. More recently, the two countries have clashed over a decision to cut oil production by the OPEC Plus cartel, which Saudi Arabia effectively leads.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Mr. Xi had met and signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement, without providing further details.

Under the agreement, the two sides agreed to hold meetings between their heads of state every two years, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua. Beijing also agreed to list Saudi Arabia as a destination for group travel and to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, Mr. Xi said on Thursday during his talks with Prince Mohammed.

Other pacts signed by officials during the state visit included a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen energy and an “alignment plan” between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification program , the Saudi Press Agency report said.

Upon arrival on Wednesday, Mr. Xi was met by a grander reception than Mr. Biden received in July, when the American president visited the coastal city of Jeddah, partly in a bid to repair ties with the Saudi government .

Footage of Mr. Xi’s reception on Wednesday showed jets flying overhead with smoke trails in the red and yellow colors of the Chinese flag.

On Thursday, he was taken to the palatial royal court, where his car, a luxury Chinese sedan, was escorted by horse riders carrying Saudi and Chinese flags. Prince Mohammed greeted him with a warm handshake, contrasting with Mr. Biden’s greeting of a fist bump.

The crown prince’s moves to deepen relationships with countries like China, Russia and South Korea are partly driven by his desire to establish Saudi Arabia a power in its own right, rather than an expectation that any of them could replace the United States. In that context, the pomp and circumstance around Mr. Xi’s visit is as much a signal to his domestic and regional audiences as it is to the United States. Many officials in the Gulf are preparing for what they believe is an emerging multipolar world, in which the United States no longer plays as central a role as it has since World War II.

“The American hegemony today over the international order won’t continue, in my estimation,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the president of the neighboring United Arab Emirates, said at a public lecture earlier this year. “China has become a central economic player, a central technological player, a very important political actor.”

Prince Mohammed wants to diversify the oil-dependent kingdom’s economy, develop a civilian nuclear program and build a robust local defense industry. Securing technology and know-how from China is key to those goals, and Saudi pundits often compare the kingdom’s economic transformation to China’s decades ago.

ٍSaudi and Chinese companies signed 34 agreements on Wednesday in fields including information technology, genetics, mining, hydrogen energy and manufacturing. One Saudi firm partnered with a Chinese company to set up an electric vehicle plant in the kingdom.

Huawei, the telecommunications conglomerate targeted by American sanctions, signed a memorandum of understanding with a Saudi government ministry, partly to enable Huawei to build a data center in the kingdom.

At a conference in neighboring Bahrain last month, Brett McGurk, the top U.S. National Security Council official for Middle East policy, cautioned that “certain partnerships” with China will “create a ceiling” for what the U.S. is able to provide its allies.

“But thus far, we are not seeing that type of relationship that is getting in the way of what we are working here to build,” he said.

Vivian Nereim is the Gulf bureau chief. She has more than a decade of experience in the Arabian Peninsula and was previously a reporter for Bloomberg News covering Saudi Arabia. More about Vivian Nereim

China’s Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia to ‘bolster ties’

Initial agreements worth $29bn will be signed during a Saudi Arabian-Chinese summit this week, according to the kingdom’s official news agency.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit that is likely to focus on energy ties as Beijing strives to revive its economy and Riyadh looks to expand its global alliances beyond its partnerships with the West, especially the United States.

Xi touched down on Wednesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Chinese and Saudi state media reported. The visit marks only his third trip abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began and his first to Saudi Arabia since 2016.

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Saudis tell us that iran may attack the kingdom: officials, do relations with saudi arabia still serve us interests, china faces pressure at united nations after xinjiang report, yuan jumps after report saudis consider its use in oil deals.

Both Saudi and Chinese flags were on display in Riyadh. Xi waved from his plane and was welcomed by Riyadh’s Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and the governor of the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), Yasir Al-Rumayyan, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The White House warned on Wednesday that China’s attempts to exert its influence worldwide were “not conducive” to the international order.

“We are mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world. The Middle East is certainly one of those regions where they want to deepen their level of influence,” said John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesman.

It was “certainly not a surprise that President Xi is travelling around,” Kirby said, while adding that the US was focused on its own partnership in the region.

Xi is visiting at the invitation of Saudi King Salman “to bolster historic ties and strategic partnership between the two countries”, SPA reported on Tuesday.

Initial agreements worth $29.26bn will be signed during the bilateral summit, SPA said.

Xi will also attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, according to the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying.

Saudi Arabia will remain a trusted and reliable energy partner for China, said Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Wednesday, according to SPA.

He noted that cooperation between China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, and Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, had helped maintain global oil market stability.

Xi’s visit comes as China looks to deepen its relationships with countries in the Middle East amid growing strains in its ties with the US and other Western nations.

In an editorial, China’s Global Times, a state-run tabloid, described the China-Arab States Summit as “a milestone in the history of China-Arab countries relations”. The paper said that after the “severe impact” of the Arab Spring, the region had a “common desire” to avoid political turmoil and achieve stable growth and was “keenly interested in China’s experience”.

‘Deeper relations’

The summit with Saudi Arabia, chaired by King Salman and attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the kingdom’s de facto ruler, follows Xi’s confirmation in October as president for an unprecedented third term .

China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and MBS is expected to give Xi a lavish welcome, a marked contrast to the muted reception given to US President Joe Biden in July.

The visit reflects “much deeper relations developed in recent years” between the two countries, said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi Arabian analyst close to the government.

“As the largest importer of Saudi oil, China is a critically important partner and military relations have been developing strongly,” he said, adding that he expected “a number of agreements to be signed”.

MBS was in Beijing in 2019 when he held talks that focussed on energy deals and regional economic agreements aligned with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, Xi’s globe-spanning infrastructure project.

The trip also coincides with heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the US over issues ranging from energy policy to regional security and human rights.

The latest blow to that decades-old partnership came in October when the OPEC+ oil bloc agreed to cut production by two million barrels a day, a move the White House said amounted to “aligning with Russia” on the war in Ukraine.

On Sunday, OPEC+ decided to keep those cuts in place.

Shihabi said the timing was “a coincidence and not directed at the US”.

In from the cold

China sees Saudi Arabia as its key ally in the Middle East due not only to its importance as an oil supplier but also a shared suspicion of Western countries, especially on issues such as human rights.

Saudi Arabia has remained silent on the situation in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, where the United Nations has said the detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities may amount to “ crimes against humanity “.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in October that Saudi Arabia was a “priority” in China’s overall and regional diplomatic strategy.

China buys roughly a quarter of Saudi Arabian oil exports.

The oil market was thrown into turmoil with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Group of Seven (G7) bloc of nations and the European Union on Friday agreed on a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to deny the Kremlin revenues to keep up the war, stoking further uncertainty.

“Oil will probably be higher up the agenda than it was when Biden visited,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt of the risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

“These are the two most important players in the oil market – Saudi on the supply side and then China on the demand side.”

Beyond energy, analysts have said leaders from the two countries are expected to discuss potential deals that could see Chinese firms become more deeply involved in megaprojects that are central to the crown prince’s vision of diversifying Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil.

Those projects include a futuristic $500bn megacity known as NEOM, a so-called “cognitive” city that will depend heavily on facial recognition and surveillance technology.

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China's Xi Jinping visits Saudi Arabia to assert power and rival U.S. influence

Aya Batrawy

China's leader Xi Jinping (center) walks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (right), following an official welcoming ceremony at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

China's leader Xi Jinping (center) walks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (right), following an official welcoming ceremony at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — China's leader, Xi Jinping, is in Saudi Arabia for a visit showcasing Beijing's ambitions to expand its influence in the Gulf, a region traditionally seen as a close U.S. security partner.

For Xi, who recently secured a third term in power , the trip is a chance to grow China's foothold in the Middle East and rival the United States. China wants to export more of its technology and deepen its investments in areas like ports, mining, nuclear technology and defense in the Middle East.

For Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the visit is an opportunity to cement his place as the prime minister of a country seen as a regional anchor and heavyweight. Under his lead, Saudi Arabia has resisted picking sides in the rivalry between the U.S. and other global powers. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced they mediated Thursday's prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. They credited their "mutual and solid friendship" with both Washington and Moscow.

Xi met with Saudi leaders on Thursday, including with King Salman. Saudi Arabia is also hosting summits for Xi with Gulf Arab leaders and heads of state from other Mideast countries on Friday. Ahead of the summits, Xi met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Riyadh on Thursday.

Xi's visit raises pressure on the U.S. in the Mideast

Over the summer, President Biden visited Saudi Arabia aiming to reassure wary allies and asserting the U.S. presence in the region. He told a gathering of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia that the U.S. "will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran."

Middle East

Biden's middle east trip aims to shore up a relatively calm moment in the region.

But he was unable to secure greater oil production from the Saudis, who would soon lead an effort to cut oil production by some 2 million barrels a day in a pact with Russia. There were also conflicting reports about what was said between the president and the Saudi crown prince concerning human rights and the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by agents who worked for Prince Mohammed in late 2018.

From left: King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, U.S. President Biden, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 16. Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

From left: King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, U.S. President Biden, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 16.

The U.S. remains concerned that China is encroaching on its sphere of influence in the region. In remarks reported by Reuters and Agence France-Presse , White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters this week that China is trying to deepen its level of influence in the Middle East in ways that "are not conducive to preserving the international rules-based order."

"We are not asking nations to choose between the United States and China, but as the president has said many times we believe that in this strategic competition the United States is certainly well poised to lead," Kirby was reported to have said.

Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University who has had ties with the Saudi royal court, wrote in the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news website that China is eroding Washington's role as a regional powerbroker. He noted that China, which has ties with Iran, has positioned itself as a partner to Gulf Arab states by supplying weapons like armed drones that the United States has refused to do.

A chance to assert the Gulf's autonomy

Gulf Arab officials have long expressed concerns that the U.S. is increasingly disengaging from the region and focused on countering China in East Asia.

The Gulf is now ruled by relatively young and assertive leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. While these countries still heavily rely on the United States for their national security needs and weapons sales, they're leveraging this competition to their own advantage, said John Calabrese, an assistant professor at American University. This visit by Xi is an example of how they refuse to be pulled to any one side.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz and Chinese President Xi Jinping sign documents during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Reuters hide caption

Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz and Chinese President Xi Jinping sign documents during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

"Gulf leaders understand that the current geopolitical situation invites, it permits a kind of, you know, opportunism on their part," he said. "They now see themselves in a position to leverage their relationship with the United States and, to some extent, to play the U.S. and China against each other in ways that they perceive may benefit their own national interests."

Oil and defense are at the heart of Saudi-China ties

While Saudi Arabia and China are expected to announce billions of dollars in new deals, they are interdependent on one another for oil. The Gulf states rely on China as a top buyer of their oil exports.

"The bottom line here is that China is tethered to the Middle East, to the Gulf in particular, specifically because of its energy security needs," said Calabrese, who also heads the Middle East Asia Project at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

Prince Mohammed, however, is seeking to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy away from reliance on oil exports. As part of that larger vision to bolster the kingdom's independence and economic might, he's aiming to build a homegrown Saudi defense industry. China is seen as an important partner in providing the technology and know-how to build out the kingdom's defenses. The kingdom is also looking to China for nuclear technology.

The visit marks only the third time for Xi to travel abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began three years ago. It is also the first time he's left China since protests erupted against his government's COVID-19 lockdown policies. The government responded to those protests by loosening some measures this week, including allowing people to quarantine at home rather than a state facility if they test positive for the virus.

• Mohammed bin Salman
• gulf states
• Saudi Arabia

Argument: Xi’s Saudi Visit Shows Riyadh’s Monogamous Marriage to Washington Is Over

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Xi’s Saudi Visit Shows Riyadh’s Monogamous Marriage to Washington Is Over

In today’s cold war 2.0, not only will saudi arabia refuse to choose sides, but it’s also likely to move closer to beijing and moscow..

In a remarkably prescient 2004 interview , then-Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal told former Washington Post journalist David Ottaway that the U.S.-Saudi relationship wasn’t a “Catholic marriage,” where only one wife was allowed; it was a “Muslim marriage,” where four wives were permitted. “Saudi Arabia was not seeking divorce from the United States; it was just seeking marriage with other countries,” Ottaway wrote.

That has now come to pass. Nowhere is this more clearly reflected than in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week—the first since 2016. Xi’s visit won’t be an awkward “let’s mend the fences” fist-bump moment. It’ll be much closer to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2017 extravaganza: a full-on fete of pageantry and warm embraces as Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner meets China’s largest source of imported oil.

Beijing cannot replace Washington on the issue that matters most to the Saudis: their security in a rough neighborhood. But the days of Riyadh’s monogamous marriage with Washington are probably going the way of the dodo. In today’s Cold War 2.0—or whatever we want to call the rising tensions and competition between the United States on one side and China and Russia on the other—not only will Saudi Arabia refuse to choose sides, but it’s also likely to move closer to Beijing and Moscow as its own interests warrant. In short, Washington is no longer the only wife in town.

It’s tempting to see the Saudi interest in improving relations with China as a temporary tactic to remind the United States to pay more attention to Saudi interests and not take Riyadh for granted. Personal relations between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and U.S. President Joe Biden have been anything but cordial; the crown prince has said he doesn’t care what Biden thinks of him, and Biden—no wilting wallflower when it comes to calling out the Saudis—has made it clear that he doesn’t think much of the Saudi leader.

But what ails the U.S.-Saudi relationship goes much deeper than bad chemistry between the president and crown prince. The fundamental trade-off that sustained the relationship for decades—Washington needs Saudi oil and Riyadh needs U.S. security guarantees—has frayed over the years thanks to a long list of stresses and strains. These include the 9/11 terror attacks, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, and lingering questions over how much the Saudi government knew about the plot; the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which led to a Shiite-dominated regime in Baghdad vulnerable to Iranian influence; the U.S. reaction to the Arab Spring, in which Washington pressured Egypt’s president at the time, Hosni Mubarak, to step down and encouraged democratic reforms elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa—moves the Saudi monarchy viewed as a threat to authoritarians everywhere and as a potential threat to its own hold on power; the fracking and shale revolution that made the United States an oil competitor; the Obama administration’s nuclear accord with Saudi Arabia’s archenemy, Iran; Riyadh’s growing concerns—highlighted by Washington’s perceived weak response to the September 2019 Iranian drone/cruise missile attacks on two key Saudi oil-producing facilities—about the U.S. commitment to Saudi security; and, finally, the rise of the ruthless and reckless Mohammed bin Salman and his ordering of the killing of Saudi dissident and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.

Efforts to mend ties only seem to make them worse. Despite the bro-like fist bump between Biden and the crown prince during the president’s visit, one came away with the feeling that the Saudis had the upper hand, got quite a bit more than they gave, and had no intention of lining up with the Biden administration against Russia in Ukraine or against a rising China. One would be hard-pressed to find any language critical of either of Washington’s adversaries in the expansive statements or communiques that came out of that meeting. And whatever understandings the two sides had reached on Saudi intentions to increase oil production collapsed in a moment of acrimony when, at the OPEC+ meeting in October, the Saudis and Russians drove the decision to cut production by 2 million barrels per day in an act that was seen in Washington as direct support for financing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine in Ukraine.

It’s fascinating that in Biden’s op-ed in the Washington Post before his July Middle East trip, he pointed out that it was necessary to improve U.S.-Saudi relations in order to compete with China. Mohammed bin Salman, of course, doesn’t see it that way at all. From his perspective, the game is now how he can use the China card to benefit Saudi Arabia, extracting as much as he can get from both Beijing and Washington without permanently alienating either.

The Saudis have been developing relations with China for years. But this is a new—and perhaps strategic—twist on a very old game that small and vulnerable powers play with great ones. When the great power—in this case the United States—deprioritizes the smaller power (or its region), the latter also recalibrates and seeks to reach out to other great powers to balance and compensate. What’s changed, though, is Saudi Arabia’s growing confidence—its willingness to act independently to defend Saudi interests—as well as the growing importance of China as a superpower in Saudi calculations.

What does China offer Saudi Arabia? For Mohammed bin Salman, China is not just a lever to be pulled against the United States. It has real value on its own. China is now Saudi Arabia’s biggest trading partner, having outstripped U.S.-Saudi bilateral trade in recent years. As the New York Times reports, “Chinese companies are deeply enmeshed in the kingdom, building megaprojects, setting up 5G infrastructure and developing military drones.” The Chinese are not just doing infrastructure, either. Evan A. Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Foreign Policy that Beijing is pursuing a multidimensional approach that includes technology and telecommunications. Last month, Chinese telecommunication company China Mobile International signed a memorandum of understanding with Riyadh “to advance the digital media ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.”

China also offers Saudi Arabia a no-strings-attached relationship free of interference in the country’s domestic politics, including any and all concerns about human rights. That works both ways: Xi has rarely traveled outside China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s no coincidence that he picked Saudi Arabia to be among his first several trips abroad—a country run by a fellow authoritarian where there will be no protests or embarrassing press coverage of the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, or recent Chinese demonstrations against COVID-19 lockdowns. As bona fide and upstanding members of the authoritarian club, both Mohammed bin Salman and Xi have a common bond that unites them against outside pressure to reform, democratize, and promote human rights.

This means that, unlike Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Xi’s is likely to be marked by mutual warmth and devoid of unpleasantness and friction. And the visit, which will reportedly include three summits—one with Xi, Saudi King Salman, and Mohammed bin Salman; a second between Xi and Gulf states; and a third involving Xi and the Arab League states—will allow both Mohammed bin Salman and Xi to demonstrate their centrality in the region. The Saudi state news agency reports that more than 30 heads of state and leaders of international organizations plan to attend.

The U.S.-Saudi relationship is not about to collapse. Washington is likely to remain Riyadh’s key partner in security and intelligence cooperation, and the external threat from Iran is likely to guarantee that at least one aspect of the special relationship survives, if somewhat battered. China cannot replace the sophistication and effectiveness of U.S. weapons or act as a guarantor of freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf—indeed, it’s the U.S. Navy that protects and helps secure Chinese energy supplies there. Still, the Biden administration should watch closely what upgrades to Chinese missiles already in Saudi hands Beijing might be selling , as well as what kind of incipient nuclear cooperation might be taking place.

Nonetheless, one thing is certain. This isn’t your grandfather’s or grandmother’s U.S.-Saudi relationship. The days of the risk-averse, consensus-driven Saudi kings are over; instead, we are watching a risk-ready, confident, even arrogant Saudi king-in-waiting who knows that, green revolution or no, the world will be dependent on Saudi hydrocarbons for years to come. The United States is still very important to, but perhaps not as central in, Mohammed bin Salman’s calculations. On his July trip to the Middle East, Biden told the Saudis and other Gulf Arab leaders that the United States wasn’t “going anywhere” and was in the region to stay. But if Mohammed bin Salman has his way, China—and perhaps Russia, too—will be as well.

Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former U.S. State Department Middle East analyst and negotiator in Republican and Democratic administrations. He is the author of The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President . Twitter:  @aarondmiller2

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China's President Xi to visit Saudi Arabia, says kingdom's foreign minister

A date has not yet been confirmed for the visit.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2019. AFP

China's President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in the near future, the kingdom's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said on Thursday.

The announcement of the visit, and summits between Middle East nations and the Chinese government, came after talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Prince Faisal.

The talks were the fourth meeting of the political and diplomatic sub-committee under the China-Saudi Arabia high-level joint committee.

"Our meeting today comes at an important time, as it precedes the expected visit of the Chinese president to the kingdom and before the Saudi-Chinese summit, the Gulf-Chinese summit, and the Arab-Chinese summit, which the Kingdom views with great interest and is working to finalise all arrangements for it, for its success," Prince Faisal told Saudi TV outlet Al Ekhbariya.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince @FaisalbinFarhan and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi co-chaired the fourth meeting of the Political and Foreign Affairs Committee under the #Saudi – #China High-Level Joint Committee. #EKHNews_EN pic.twitter.com/cptNmQlyK6 — AlEkhbariya News (@EKHNews_EN) October 27, 2022

"The historical and solid relationship between our two countries is based on common principles and mutual respect, which contributed to the consolidation of international peace and stability."

China’s ruling Communist Party affirmed Mr Xi's third five-year term as leader on Saturday.

"China attaches great importance to the development of China-Saudi Arabia relations and puts Saudi Arabia at a priority position in China's overall diplomacy, its diplomacy with the Middle East region in particular," Mr Wang said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Mr Xi's last visit to Saudi Arabia was in 2016. In 2019, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Beijing and hailed relations with China.

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Chinese president Xi Jinping expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week

The planned gala reception is in stark contrast to the low-key audience afforded Joe Biden in June, as ties between China and the kingdom grow closer

The Chinese president Xi Jinping is expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week, where plans are under way for a gala reception to match that given to Donald Trump on his first trip abroad as president.

The welcome being prepared for the Chinese leader is in stark contrast with that afforded to Joe Biden in June , when the US president received a low-key reception, reflecting strained ties between the two countries and personal distaste between Biden and the de facto Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman.

Xi, however, is instead expected to receive a bells-and-whistles welcome intended to consolidate ties between Beijing and Riyadh and reinforce the image of China as an ally of Saudi Arabia , as ties with Washington continue to drift.

China and Saudi Arabia have been growing closer over two decades, but ties have deepened as Prince Mohammed accumulated power in the kingdom from 2016 onwards. Riyadh has defended China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority and Hong Kong’s draconian national security law, placing it at odds with the US on key human rights issues.

Trade ties between the two countries have forged ahead at the same time as Washington has pivoted away from the Middle East.

“China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trade partner. It is the largest buyer of Saudi oil,” said Mohammed Alyahya, a fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center’s Middle East Institute and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “China is very important in the region geopolitically. It has been eyeing military bases in Africa and elsewhere. In the past its interests had been purely mercantilist, focused entirely on commerce. Now they’re increasingly looking at things through a strategic lens.

“They are particularly interested in ensuring the free flow of oil. This is the same for China as the US. The Americans say there is a diversion of bandwidth away from the region to focus on countering China in a “pivot to Asia”. The Chinese however seem to consider the region to be a primary theatre for great power competition.

“China is America’s primary competitor in the region. They’ll clearly be watching very carefully.”

Xi was first invited to Riyadh in March. His visit is likely to be the most significant to the kingdom since Trump’s arrival in May 2017, months after his inauguration , where he was received with silver swords, a glowing orb , extravagant gifts and a rollout of Saudi and Arab royalty.

That visit set the tone for the Trump administration’s disposition towards Riyadh, an era when the ambitious crown prince was given repeated cover by Trump and his senior officials and formed deep ties with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

China made no public comment about Saudi Arabia’s invasion of Yemen, its boycott of Qatar, or the murder of dissident, Jamal Khashoggi , which led to strong condemnation in the US and Europe.

China is increasingly seen as stepping into a regional vacuum created by waning US interest and power projection. Biden’s June visit yielded few dividends, and did not succeed in convincing Prince Mohammed to boost oil supplies – a move that would have helped reduce bowser prices in the US in the run-up to mid-term elections.

In preparation for the visit, which is expected to take in Riyadh, Jeddah and the planned megacity of Neom on the western Saudi coast, plans were under way to hoist thousands of Chinese banners and receive hundreds of dignitaries.

Prince Mohammed has appeared emboldened by Biden’s visit, telling allies that it succeeded in reasserting Riyadh’s influence on a global stage, and displaying a sovereign footing. Critics of the visit have claimed that the US helped rehabilitate Prince Mohammed nearly four years after the Khashoggi killing – which was carried out by Prince Mohammed’s security aides – while receiving little in return.

“Saudi has its swagger back,” said one senior Saudi official. “We engage with our friends on equal terms. Friends don’t just arrive here, demand things and give nothing back.”

Prince Mohammed recently travelled to Greece and France, ending years of isolation. “That visit was made possible by the Biden visit,” said the Saudi official.

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President Xi Jinping Arrives in Riyadh to Attend the First China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit and Pay a State Visit to Saudi Arabia

On the afternoon of December 7 local time, President Xi Jinping arrived in Riyadh on a special plane to attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

President Xi Jinping’s special plane was escorted by four fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Force after it entered Saudi Arabia’s airspace, and by six Saudi Hawk jets from the royal aerobatic team after it entered Riyadh’s airspace.

President Xi Jinping received a grand and warm welcome when his special plane arrived at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival. The Saudi Hawks painted the sky in red and yellow, colors of China’s national flag. Honor guards flanked the purple carpet. Chinese and Saudi national flags fluttered in the wind. President Xi Jinping was warmly greeted by Governor of Riyadh Province Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister Yasir Al-Rumayyan who works on China affairs and other key members of the royal family and senior officials of the government.

President Xi Jinping issued a written statement, in which he extended warm greetings and best wishes to the government and people of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Chinese government and people. President Xi Jinping noted that for 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Saudi Arabia have enhanced strategic mutual trust, and witnessed fruitful practical cooperation in various fields. In 2016, the two countries established the comprehensive strategic partnership. President Xi Jinping noted that he has since then worked with King Salman to steer the bilateral relations on a path of significant progress, which has not only delivered benefits to both peoples, but also effectively promoted regional peace, stability, prosperity and development. During the visit, he will have an in-depth exchange of views with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of shared interest to jointly chart the course for China-Saudi Arabia relations. President Xi Jinping noted that he looks forward to attending the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit and working with leaders from the Arab countries and the GCC countries to bring China’s relations with Arab countries and the GCC to new heights.

Ding Xuexiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor, He Lifeng, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and other accompanying officials arrived on the same plane.

Chen Weiqing, China’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia also came to the airport to greet the arrival.

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China's President Xi expected to visit Saudi Arabia: Saudi FM

RIYADH - Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich kingdom’s foreign minister said, days after the leader of the world’s most populous nation secured a third term in office.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan hailed the “historical and solid relationship” between the major oil exporter and Beijing after talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

“Our meeting today comes at an important time, as it precedes the expected visit of the Chinese president to the kingdom,” Prince Faisal told the Al Arabiya TV channel.

Saudi Arabia is also “finalising arrangements” for summit talks between China and Arab countries, he added.

Xi, who extended his decade in power last week, has only left China once since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when he visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in September.

The Chinese embassy in Saudi Arabia did not comment when asked by AFP about Xi’s expected visit.

China’s ministry of foreign affairs meanwhile said it had “no information to offer” on the matter.

The potential visit comes at a time of strained ties between Saudi Arabia and long-standing ally the United States after the OPEC+ cartel slashed oil production, ignoring pleas from Washington.

The decision infuriated US President Joe Biden, who flew to Saudi Arabia in July, fist-bumping with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

That trip went ahead despite the US president once pledging to make the country a “pariah” over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Wang said Saudi Arabia occupies a “priority position in China’s overall diplomacy”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Xi visited Saudi Arabia in January 2016 – the year before Prince Mohammed was named as heir to the throne, ushering in a period of reform. The Saudi prince made the trip to China in early 2019. AFP

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Saudi Arabia's oil giant boss speaks up for China, saying its massive production of solar panels and EVs helps affordability

• Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser praised China for making solar panels and electric vehicles affordable.
• The West has recently stepped up criticism over China's dumping of cheap green products on the global markets.
• Saudi Arabia is fostering closer ties with China and wooing Chinese investments and business partnerships.

China's green industries have an unlikely ally in Saudi Aramco — the world's largest oil company — who praised the world's second-largest economy for making solar panels and electric vehicles affordable.

"China really helped by reducing the cost of solar energy," Amin Nasser, the CEO of state-owned Saudi Aramco, said at the World Energy Congress in Rotterdam on Monday, according to the Financial Times.

"We can see the same now in electric vehicles. Their cost is one-third to one-half the cost of other electric vehicles," Nasser added, as he called for globalization and collaboration, per the FT.

Because China has made these green products so affordable, they will help the West achieve its target of cutting carbon emissions to a net zero level by 2050, said Nasser.

The West has hit out against China's overcapacity

Nasser's comments came amid the West's criticism that China has been dumping cheap solar panels and EVs on the global markets.

Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen slammed overcapacity and overproduction in China during a visit to the East Asia nation.

"China is now simply too large for the rest of the world to absorb this enormous capacity," said Yellen. She warned China against repeating its actions over a decade ago when it dumped products like steel on the global markets, decimating industries and communities.

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Last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, too, echoed Yellen's concerns during a visit to China when he called for fair competition.

Beijing has hit back against the West's accusations of dumping, framing the criticism as a tactic to limit China's economic development.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is undergoing a painful transition from its previous growth drivers of real-estate and lower-end manufacturing to the hot new sectors of EVs, solar cells, and lithium batteries.

Saudi Arabia looks to foster closer ties with China

Nasser's praises of China also came at a strategic time for Riyadh's relationship with Beijing.

Unlike the West, Saudi Arabia is cozying up to China.

In January, Faisal Alibrahim, the Saudi Arabian minister of economy and planning, told the Nikkei that his country thinks it's "very wise" to strengthen its relationship with China, among other partners.

"There are lots of opportunities for China to invest in Saudi Arabia," Alibrahim told the media outlet. "At the same time, we are prioritizing, investing all around the world, including China in terms of the opportunities there."

Saudi Arabia is trying to attract Chinese investors to pump money into its Neom megacity project on the Red Sea, which aims to drive the kingdom's economic diversification away from oil to sectors including tech and tourism.

As a key contributor to Saudi Arabia's economy, Aramco has good reasons to build closer ties with China amid the West's commitment to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

On Monday, Aramco announced it's in talks to acquire a 10% stake in China's Hengli Petrochemicals — the latest in a string of deals with Chinese refiners in less than 12 months. The deals are poised to expand Aramco's footprint in China.

In March last year, China brokered a détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, prompting concerns over waning US influence in the Middle East.

Despite Saudi Arabia and China's developing relationship, the Chinese aren't quite present on the ground in Saudi Arabia, Jon Alterman, the director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Friday.

"It is clear to Saudis that the country needs a robust relationship with China," said Alterman. "Even if China doesn't replace the United States, Saudi Arabia sees China as an important check on the United States, and an important supplement to what the United States is willing to provide to China."

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Blinken plans to visit Saudi Arabia to take part in World Economic Forum, Axios reports

Talks on normalization had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the oct. 7 attack by palestinian hamas fighters and israel's subsequent assault on hamas-ruled gaza. blinken's saudi visit will follow his trip to china that begins on wednesday in shanghai, where he will meet with business leaders..

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to visit Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to take part in the World Economic Forum in Riyadh starting on April 28, Axios reported, citing two unidentified U.S. officials and one Arab official.

Blinken is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other regional leaders while in Saudi Arabia, Axios reported. The State Department was not immediately available for comment.

Last month, Blinken said the United States and Saudi Arabia have made "good progress" in talks on normalizing ties between the kingdom and Israel. Talks on normalization had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas fighters and Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Blinken's Saudi visit will follow his trip to China that begins on Wednesday in Shanghai, where he will meet with business leaders. He then heads to Beijing on Friday for talks with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a likely meeting with President Xi Jinping. Blinken's trip to China comes as U.S.-China ties are on a steady footing but with a daunting array of unresolved issues threatening to tip the world's two largest economies toward confrontation.

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Shanghai’s enterprising spirit is China’s best hope

Returning to the city 20 years after his first visit, our columnist is still bowled over by its dynamism

I first visited Shanghai in 2004 and wrote a column for The Observer newspaper that concluded: “I have seen the future: it is China’s communist-capitalism, and it works.”

Perhaps it was youthful (ahem) exuberance, but I was bowled over by the city’s entrepreneurial dynamism, all the more impactful given the communist red flags flying everywhere.

Shanghai has always been mainland China’s commercial, mercantile and financial hub, whatever the pretensions of Hong Kong to the south and austere Beijing up north.

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Visiting the city again 20 years later – as I did last week in the company of some bankers – I’d like to think my optimism was largely justified. Over the past two decades, communist-capitalism has propelled China to the world’s top slot for trade and manufacturing, and second only to the United States for GDP.

For much of that time, GDP growth was in double digits. Chinese spending on infrastructure and expansion of trade after the global financial crisis helped the world recover quickly from the Western-made 2009 recession.

Sometime around 2016, things started to wobble. China’s domination of global trade in manufactured goods provoked protectionism and tariffs, notably in the US under Donald Trump but also in Europe.

About then, other strains tightened in the Chinese economy. The workforce was shrinking and the proportion of elderly dependents increasing. Real estate became a national fixation as people looked to secure their old age with a roof over their heads.

In this delicate economic balance, the Covid pandemic landed like a body blow. No one felt its effects more than the naturally extrovert and gregarious people of Shanghai.

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On my visit last week, financial professionals spoke of the trauma of being locked down at home or, even worse, in their offices for months on end. The pandemic restrictions and recession exacerbated all the other negative pressures on the Chinese economy.

Over the past four years, China has struggled with the legacy of the pandemic . It recently reported GDP growth of 5.3 percent – a globally respectable number but half of what it was in the heyday of the expansion. (The financial professionals in Shangai were sceptical that the official numbers were accurate).

Trading relations with the West have, if anything, worsened. President Joe Biden is now slapping punitive tariffs on Chinese steel imports while the EU is complaining that a huge volume of electric vehicles and renewable technology is “unfairly flooding Europe”.

Meanwhile, China’s real estate malaise has turned into a full-on crisis. Several of the country’s biggest property companies have either gone bust, are on the brink of bankruptcy or are reporting serious debt concerns.

The real estate crisis was the single most worrying topic that came up in conversations with Chinese and foreign bankers last week. None of them thought the full extent of the property collapse had been acknowledged and all of them thought it was worse than official accounts. Most could see no short or medium-term way through it.

There was also (private) scepticism over whether the authorities’ strategy to revive economic growth – the investment in “new productive forces” promoted enthusiastically by President Xi Jinping – is the way forward. Trying to take on the West in high technology and digital innovation was not a guaranteed success, my interlocutors thought.

Perhaps these doubts about a high-tech manufacturing future came more naturally in Shanghai, long a trade and financial centre that has also become a byword for conspicuous consumption in China.

The economists I met thought a better strategy for lift-off would be to unleash consumer spending, which languishes at a relatively low level in comparative global terms.

Judging by the daytime shoppers at the Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong and the night-time revellers on the Bund – once the European quarter and now a venue for serious R&R – the city is doing its bit to propel China to economic growth.

It need hardly be pointed out that a healthy Chinese economy is good for all of us, especially the Arabian Gulf nations increasingly tilted towards the East for the oil trade, infrastructure investment and financial services.  

The experts are out on whether Xi’s new strategy will work for China. But after a few days in the city, I’m as convinced as I was in 2004 that Shanghai has a bright future and can pull the rest of the national economy along with it, given the chance.

The city has seen it all – opium wars, rampant exploitative capitalism, hardline Marxist-Leninist-Maoism, cultural revolution and communist capitalism. It will get through whatever the policymakers in Beijing throw at it.

Frank Kane is Editor-at-Large of AGBI and an award-winning business journalist. He acts as a consultant to the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia and is a media adviser to First Abu Dhabi Bank of the UAE

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Iranian president arrives in pakistan for three-day visit to bolster ties.

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• Ebrahim Raisi arrives in Islamabad with high-level delegation and “large” team of businesspersons, says foreign office
• Raisi’s visit to Pakistan takes place amid surging Middle East tensions following Israel’s airstrikes against Iran last week

ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a three-day visit to the country, Pakistan’s foreign office said, with his trip aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries amid surging tensions in the Middle East.

The Iranian president arrived in the federal capital with his spouse, a high-level delegation of cabinet members and a team of businesspersons. He was welcomed at the Islamabad Airport by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu.

Raisi’s visit takes place days after Iran and Israel exchanged drone and missile strikes, escalating tensions in the already volatile Middle East.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi at the Prime Minister’s House,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both representatives exchanged good wishes for one another.”

Raisi was presented with a guard of honor by a Pakistan Army contingent upon his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House. Sharif and the Iranian president then planted a sapling at the Prime Minister’s House to mark the annual Earth Day. 

The Iranian president also met Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, during which the two agreed to enhance cooperation in various areas. “They also discussed regional and global developments and affirmed commitment to peace and constructive dialogue for resolving regional challenges,” the foreign office said. 

During his visit from April 22-24, the Iranian head of state is scheduled to meet Pakistan’s prime minister, president, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker, the foreign office said in a statement on Friday, adding that he would also visit Karachi and Lahore cities to meet the country’s provincial leadership.

Raisi’s visit will be the first by any head of state to Pakistan after the contentious elections of February 2024.

Pakistan and Iran are often at odds with each other over instability on their shared porous border, with both countries routinely trading blame for not rooting out militancy.

Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s countries. Both sides have since then undertaken peace overtures and restored bilateral ties.

“The two sides will have a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts,” the foreign office said.

Discussions would also focus on regional and global developments as well as bilateral cooperation to combat “terrorism,” the statement added.

“Pakistan and Iran enjoy strong bilateral ties anchored in history, culture and religion,” the foreign office said. “This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran relations.”

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Pakistan stock exchange hits record high, breaks 72,000 points in intraday trade.

• Analysts say investors expect a significant decline in April inflation data that may lead to a cut in interest rates
• The Pakistani bourse has recently been trading at record highs due to hopes of positive loan talks with the IMF

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s benchmark share index breached the key level of 72,000 to trade at a record high of 72,414 points during intraday trade earlier on Wednesday, according to data from the Pakistan Stock Exchange website.

The Pakistani bourse has recently been trading at record highs amid positive sentiment prevailing among investors due to hopes of the country’s successful talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new loan program.

The country’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, recently visited Washington to hold talks with IMF officials for a long-term bailout facility as Pakistan’s current $3 billion program is due to expire this month.

The finance minister expressed hopes the outline of the new program would soon become visible, adding that the loan would help Pakistan continue with structural economic reforms.

“After a record current account surplus, investors are now expecting a big fall in April inflation data that may result in a cut in interest rates in the coming months,” Sohail Mohammed, CEO of Karachi-based brokerage company Topline Securities, told Reuters.

Pakistan’s benchmark KSE100 index has surged 75.5 percent over the past year and is up 11.5 percent year-to-date.

The equity market is expected to surge further as an IMF delegation arrives in Pakistan next month to determine the contours of the new loan facility.

“We are still hoping that we can get into a staff-level agreement [with the IMF] by the time June is done or early July so that we can move on,” the finance minister said on Tuesday while addressing a news conference in Islamabad.

With input from Reuters

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Matthews’ second century powers west indies women to convincing 88-run victory over pakistan.

• The victory in the third ODI helps West Indies sweep the ICC Women’s Championship fixer by 3-0
• The two teams are now scheduled to play five Twenty20 cricket matches in Karachi from Friday

ISLAMABAD: West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews scored her second century of the series to help her team convincingly beat Pakistan Women by 88 runs in the third One-Day International (ODI) in Karachi and sweep the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s Championship 2022-25 fixture by 3-0.

Matthews, who scored 140 not out in the series opener five days ago, made an excellent 141 to steer her side to 278 for six in 50 overs. Pakistan Women, in their run-chase, faltered to 190 all-out in 47.5 overs.

Matthews faced 149 balls and struck 19 fours in her career-best innings in 83 matches. She put on 93 runs in 110 balls for the second wicket with Shemaine Campbelle and 111 runs for the third wicket in 124 balls with Stafanie Taylor. She was the fifth batter to be dismissed at the score of 250 in the 46th over.

“West Indies win the third and final ODI of the series by 88 runs,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced in a social media post.

West Indies win the third and final ODI of the series by 88 runs. #PAKWvWIW | #BackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/kjIyTqznyO — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 23, 2024

Campbelle contributed a 58-ball 38 with two fours, while Taylor followed up on her 73 in the previous match with a 62-ball 47 including four fours. Later in the order, Aaliyah Alleyne struck three fours in a 12-ball 20 not out to put West Indies Women in a position of strength.

For Pakistan Women, Nashra Sandhu was the most successful bowler with three wickets for 54 runs, while Fatima Sana snapped up two wickets for 67 runs.

In their run-chase, Pakistan Women were formally out of contention after losing half their side for 95 runs in 27.2 overs. Aaliya Riaz (36) and Fatima Sana (23) delayed the inevitable by adding 41 runs in 63 balls for the sixth wicket, before the home side were sent packing for 190 with 13 deliveries of their quota remaining.

Muneeba Ali top-scored with 38, while Bismah Maroof contributed 19 as the two batters added 45 runs for the third wicket.

For the West Indies Women, Aaliyah Alleyne grabbed two wickets for 10 runs, Hayley Matthews picked up two wickets for 26 runs, and Stafanie Taylor bagged two wickets for 29 runs.

After seven rounds of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, Pakistan have remained in fifth position on 16 points with eight wins and 13 losses. In contrast, the West Indies have moved ahead of Bangladesh and joined Sri Lanka in seventh position on 14 points (six wins, seven losses) after five rounds.

The top five teams in the 10-team ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, along with hosts India, will directly qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. The bottom four teams of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and the top two teams from the ICC ODI rankings will progress to a Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament.

The two sides will now go toe to toe in the five-T20I series, which will be played at the National Bank Stadium on 26 April, 28 April, 30 April, 2 May, and 3 May. The matches will commence at 7.30 pm.

Pakistan’s independent election monitor says by-poll irregularities overshadowed improved result management

• FAFEN says its observers were stopped from monitoring elections at 19 polling stations in two Punjab constituencies
• It mentions a decline in the number of votes cast despite an overall increase in registered voters since February 8

ISLAMABAD: An independent election monitoring network in Pakistan highlighted low voter turnout and procedural irregularities in provincial constituencies in Punjab on Tuesday, saying such teething issues dominated improved result management in the by-polls held on April 21.

Established in 2006, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) aims to promote electoral transparency, integrity and fairness in Pakistan through citizen observation and advocacy efforts.

It operates independently, monitoring various aspects of the electoral process, including voter registration, polling procedures and result tabulation to ensure impartial elections in the country.

“Low voter turnout, procedural irregularities and restrictions on independent observation in two provincial constituencies in Punjab overshadowed the improved results management and lower numbers of ballots excluded from the count during April 21 elections in 22 national and provincial assembly constituencies,” FAFEN said in its report on by-elections.

“Polling station establishment, voter identification, and counting at polling stations were observed to have been largely compliant with law and procedures,” it continued. “However, instances of omissions in ballot issuance requirements by Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) were reported from around 14 percent of the observed polling stations.”

FAFEN said while polling agents and accredited observers could generally access voting and counting process, security officials or Presiding Officers barred its observers at 19 polling stations in PP-36 Wazirabad and PP-22 Chakwal-cum-Talagang.

“In PP-22, the accreditation process of FAFEN observers was also delayed until the midday on the polling day causing last-minute changes in the observation scope,” it added.

The report said nearly 36 percent of registered voters cast their votes on polling day, which was nine percent less than the turnout in 18 of these constituencies on February 8.

Votes polled by women decreased by 12 percent, while votes polled by men declined by nine percent, despite an increase of 75,640 registered voters, including 37,684 men and 37,956 women compared to the general elections.

“Lahore’s five constituencies recorded the sharpest decline in the voter turnout with PP-147 reporting a mere 14 percent as against 35 percent on February 8,” it noted. “Similarly, NA-119 Lahore registered a 19 percent turnout against 39 percent on February 8. However, the voter turnout in Gujrat and Khuzdar constituencies recorded an increase compared to general elections.”

FAFEN said it deployed 259 Election-Day observers, including 187 men and 72 women, to observe the voting and counting processes at 1,036 polling stations in five National Assembly and 17 Provincial Assembly constituencies in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

It said that its report was based on the observations received on Election Day from 532 polling stations through FAFEN Election Day Observation mobile application.

US warns of sanctions risk as Iran, Pakistan agree to boost trade ties with new agreements

• State Department statement came as the Iranian president concluded his Pakistan visit to discuss energy and connectivity
• US also defends its decision to impose sanctions against four international entities supplying missile components to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The United States warned on Wednesday countries doing business with Iran faced the “potential risk of sanctions,” as President Ebrahim Raisi concluded a three-day visit to Pakistan where his government signed eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in different fields and to boost trade to $10 billion.

The Iranian president arrived in Islamabad on Monday as the two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes earlier this year. The visit also took place as tensions continued to remain high in the Middle East after Iran launched airstrikes on Israel a week ago and Israel retaliated with its own attack on Friday.

During his stay in Pakistan, Raisi held several official meetings in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to discuss issues related to trade, connectivity, energy and people-to-people contacts.

Asked about his engagements in Pakistan and signing of MoUs, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel cautioned against possible sanctions in a brief response.

“Just let me say broadly, we advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” he said. “But ultimately, the Government of Pakistan can speak to their own foreign policy pursuits.”

He was also asked about the US administration’s decision to announce sanctions against three Chinese and one Belarus-based entity supplying missile components to Pakistan last week.

“The sanctions were made because these were entities that were proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and the means of their delivery,” Patel said. “These were entities based in the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], in Belarus, and that we have witnessed to have supplied equipment and other applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.”

“We’re going to continue to disrupt and take actions against proliferation networks and concerning weapons of mass destruction procurement activities wherever they may occur,” he added.

Pakistan, China sign multiple MoUs focusing on flood rehabilitation, IT and development

• Agreements were signed during meeting of Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency officials with PM Sharif
• Pakistan PM commended CIDCA for its vital support during 2022 floods that killed 1,739 people, caused $30 bln losses

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Tuesday signed multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that focused on flood rehabilitation, information and communication technologies, and development, Pakistani state media reported.

The agreements were signed during a meeting between a high-level delegation of the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), led by Luo Zhaohui, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.

The MoUs pertained to flood rehabilitation, information and communication technologies, Juncao technology to address soil erosion and desertification, and China-Pakistan Development Cooperation Planning (2024-2028).

“Welcoming the delegation, the Prime Minister said China is Pakistan’s most trusted friend and appreciated China’s steadfast support to Pakistan,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Acknowledging CIDCA’s pivotal role in bolstering Pakistan’s economic development, the Prime Minister specifically commended CIDCA for its vital support during the 2022 floods and for its relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.”

In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild.

The prime minister witnessed the signing of agreements alongside a Letter of Exchange on the establishment of a First Aid Center in Balochistan and Protocol on Cooperation in Human Resources Development under the Global Development Initiative.

“These agreements signify the deepening cooperation between Pakistan and China across various sectors,” the report read.

The meeting was also attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, members of PM Sharif’s cabinet and senior officials of Pakistan.

Beijing has been one of Islamabad’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor.

In July last year, China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.

China has inked more than two trillion dollars in contracts around the world under its Belt and Road investment scheme, with billions pouring into infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

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