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At Invitation of King Salman, Chinese President to Kick off Visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday 

Three summits to be held, 30 heads of state to attend, deals worth 29 billion dollars to be signed.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a pas visit to Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a pas visit to Riyadh. (SPA)
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At Invitation of King Salman, Chinese President to Kick off Visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday 

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a pas visit to Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a pas visit to Riyadh. (SPA)

Chinese President Xi Jinping will kick off an official three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday at the invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.  

The visit will boost the historic ties and strategic partnership between their countries.  

King Salman and Xi will preside over a Saudi-Chinese summit with the participation of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.  

 Visit agenda 

The Saudi-Chinese, Riyadh-Gulf-Chinese and the Riyadh-Arab-Chinese cooperation and development summits will be held during Xi’s visit. 

Over 30 international leaders and organizations are set to attend, reflecting the importance of these summits on the regional and international levels. 

Over 40 preliminary agreements in the private and public sectors will be signed on the sidelines of the Saudi-Chinese summit. The agreements are valued at over 110 billion riyals (29.3 billion dollars). 

A document on the strategic partnership between the Kingdom and China will be signed. An agreement related to both Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and China’s Belt and Road initiative will be signed. 

Officials will also declare the launch of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman award for cultural cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China. 

80 years of relations 

Diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and China have been witnessed marked growth. They are moving forward at a rapid pace towards achieving greater cooperation and understanding in various fields and for their mutual benefit. 

Relations between them were established 80 years ago and covered various aspects of cooperation. They were limited to trade relations and welcoming Chinese pilgrims in the Kingdom to perform the Hajj and Umrah. 

Relations were formally normalized in 1990 when Riyadh and Beijing agreed to establish full diplomatic ties and exchange ambassadors. 

Partnership 

Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed, is keen on developing bilateral relations with China as part of the Kingdom’s strategic approach in bolstering ties with all influential countries and international powers. It is keen on establishing balanced ties that would achieve the goals of the Kingdom and protect its interests. 

The high-level Saudi-Chinese committee, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed and China’s Vice Premier of the State Council Han Zheng, has been leading efforts to increase political and security cooperation and bolstering cooperation in trade, investment, energy, technology and culture. 

Top partner 

China is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth $87.3 billion in 2021. Chinese exports to Saudi Arabia reached $30.3 billion, while China's imports from the Kingdom totaled $57 billion. 

Saudi Arabia is China's top oil supplier, making up 18% of China's total crude oil purchases, with imports totaling 73.54 million tons (1.77 million barrels a day) in the first 10 months of 2022, worth $55.5 billion, Chinese customs data shows. 

Oil imports last year amounted to 87.56 million tons, worth $43.9 billion, making up 77% of China's total merchandise imports from Saudi Arabia. 

State-run Saudi Aramco has annual supply deals with half a dozen Chinese refiners including Sinopec, CNPC, CNOOC, Sinochem, Norinco as well as private refiner Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp. 

Saudi utility developer ACWA Power, partly owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, said in September that it agreed with Silk Road Fund to jointly invest in a 1.5 gigawatt (GW) gas-fueled power plant in Uzbekistan for $1 billion, part of Beijing's One Belt One Road initiative. 

State-run China Energy Engineering Corp (CEEC) is building a 2.6-GW solar power station in Al Shuaiba in Saudi Arabia, also owned by ACWA Power, the Middle East's largest solar project. 

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Gulf

Saudi FM Attends Meeting with Egyptian and Turkish Counterparts and US Adviser in Cairo

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.(SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.(SPA)
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Saudi FM Attends Meeting with Egyptian and Turkish Counterparts and US Adviser in Cairo

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.(SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.(SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah took part in a meeting in Cairo with Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty, Türkiye's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, and Senior Advisor to the US President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The participants discussed a range of regional developments, with a particular focus on the situations in Sudan and Libya, and reviewed ongoing joint efforts to promote security, stability, and political solutions in both countries.

The meeting was also attended by Prince Musab bin Mohammed Al Farhan, Adviser to the Saudi Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, and Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Saleh bin Eid Al-Husseini.

Gulf

Lebanese Exports to Saudi Arabia Resume as First Containers Head to Jeddah

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Saudi Ambassador Fahd Al Dossari inspect security and logistical procedures at the Port of Beirut ahead of the departure of the first shipments to Jeddah Port following Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports (Asharq Al Awsat).
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Saudi Ambassador Fahd Al Dossari inspect security and logistical procedures at the Port of Beirut ahead of the departure of the first shipments to Jeddah Port following Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports (Asharq Al Awsat).
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Lebanese Exports to Saudi Arabia Resume as First Containers Head to Jeddah

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Saudi Ambassador Fahd Al Dossari inspect security and logistical procedures at the Port of Beirut ahead of the departure of the first shipments to Jeddah Port following Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports (Asharq Al Awsat).
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Saudi Ambassador Fahd Al Dossari inspect security and logistical procedures at the Port of Beirut ahead of the departure of the first shipments to Jeddah Port following Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports (Asharq Al Awsat).

The first shipments of Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia have departed from Beirut, marking the resumption of trade after a five year suspension imposed because of large scale smuggling of illicit goods into the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia reversed its decision last week in light of the positive results achieved through Lebanon's stricter security measures at ports, airports, and land border crossings.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged on Saturday that Lebanon "will never again allow itself to become a launching point for any harm against our Arab brothers. Rather, it will be a partner in their security, stability, and prosperity."

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Fahd Al Dossari reaffirmed his country's support for "Lebanon's stability, its sovereignty over all its territory, the well being of its people, and the prevention of its use as a platform to harm its brothers."

His remarks came during a ceremony marking the departure of the first Lebanese exports to Jeddah Port following the Saudi decision to lift the ban on Lebanese imports.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned from Lebanese sources that Beirut is moving toward tighter oversight of exports and is preparing a mechanism expected to be launched soon that will enable direct cooperation with Saudi authorities to detect and prevent smuggling operations. Under the mechanism, scanning devices operating at ports, airports, and land crossings will be directly linked to their counterparts at Saudi entry points, allowing Saudi authorities to monitor incoming shipments and verify them in real time.

Once implemented, the system will allow officials at Jeddah Islamic Port to review scanner results immediately after cargo passes through inspection. Saudi authorities will be able to intervene to halt suspicious shipments or request manual inspections whenever concerns arise. The same data will also be available directly to Lebanese customs officials, who monitor the information on large screens in Beirut.

Lebanese authorities hope to expand the system in the future to other countries, including states that export goods to Lebanon, enabling Lebanese customs officials to monitor shipments bound for Lebanon in a similar manner.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed on June 10 that Lebanese exports to the Kingdom be resumed in light of the "positive steps" taken by the Lebanese government to rebuild state institutions. The decision came in response to a request from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Ambassador Fahd Al Dossari inspect security procedures at the Port of Beirut (Asharq Al Awsat).

The first container bound for Jeddah Islamic Port departed on Saturday following the lifting of the ban on Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia. The event was attended by Salam, several ministers, and Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to Beirut, Fahd bin Abdulrahman Al Dossari.

In his remarks, Ambassador Al Dossari said: "Based on the positive steps taken by the Lebanese state, we gather today to witness the relaunch of the first Lebanese exports to the Kingdom."

He added: "This step confirms Saudi Arabia's support for Lebanon's stability, its full sovereignty over all its territory, and the well being of its people. It also reflects the Kingdom's confidence in the Lebanese state's ability to take the necessary measures to prevent its territory from being used as a platform to harm its brothers."

A Moment Lebanon Has Long Awaited

Speaking from the Port of Beirut as the first container departed, Prime Minister Salam said Lebanon was "witnessing a moment it has awaited for a long time, namely the departure of the first containers bound for Jeddah Port after the lifting of the ban on Lebanese exports to the Kingdom."

He added: "I recall standing in this very place on November 25 last year. At that time, I said frankly that Lebanon had been used as a transit point for the export of illicit goods to a number of Arab countries, with the Kingdom, unfortunately, at the forefront. I also said that our ability to control our exports was a fundamental condition for lifting the ban, and that the installation of scanning equipment meant that the lifting of restrictions on Lebanese exports was drawing near."

Salam continued: "But we did not stop at installing modern scanning equipment at the ports of Beirut and Tripoli to monitor everything entering and leaving Lebanon. After appointing a new port administration composed of experienced and qualified professionals, and later a new customs administration, we worked to tighten border control measures with Syria and strengthened efforts to combat smuggling in all its forms."

Salam reiterated: "We will never again allow Lebanon to become a launching point for any harm against our Arab brothers. Rather, it will be a partner in their security, stability, and prosperity."

A Return of Hope for Thousands of Farmers

Salam noted that Saudi Arabia "was, before the ban, by far the largest market for our exports. Today, with the departure of this container, we are returning to those markets. I hope not only that we regain the level of exports we had before the ban, but that we surpass it."

He stressed that "our return to Saudi markets means the return of hope to thousands of farmers in the Bekaa, the South, and the North, to factories that survived the most difficult circumstances, and to all exporters who have waited a long time for this day."

He added that "this decision does not revive just one sector. It activates an entire economic chain, helps create job opportunities, and ensures an inflow of hard currency."

Salam pointed out that "this decision comes at a stage when Lebanon needs every possible measure to stimulate its economy and strengthen the capabilities of its productive sectors."

He added: "We hope this step will be followed by further measures that strengthen cooperation and facilitate travel between our two countries."

Salam continued: "From this platform, in the name of the Lebanese state and in my personal name, I renew my thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his generous decision to lift the ban on exports from Lebanon. Lebanon values its deep historical ties with Saudi Arabia and highly appreciates the role played by its leadership over decades in supporting Lebanon, its stability, and its institutions."

Five Year Ban

The Saudi ban began in 2021 on agricultural imports before being expanded to include all goods. It was linked to the smuggling of the narcotic Captagon after smugglers and criminal networks used Lebanon as a platform for trafficking drugs into the Kingdom.

The move increased pressure on Lebanon's already collapsing economy, which had been struggling with a severe financial crisis since 2019, particularly as agricultural exports lost access to their traditional Gulf markets. Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia totaled approximately $240 million in 2020.

Gulf

Lebanese Prime Minister Meets with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon

The Lebanese prime minister extended his best wishes for the ambassador’s success in his duties - SPA
The Lebanese prime minister extended his best wishes for the ambassador’s success in his duties - SPA
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Lebanese Prime Minister Meets with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon

The Lebanese prime minister extended his best wishes for the ambassador’s success in his duties - SPA
The Lebanese prime minister extended his best wishes for the ambassador’s success in his duties - SPA

Prime Minister of Lebanon Nawaf Salam met Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Fahd Al-Dosari in Beirut on Sunday during a courtesy visit following the presentation of his credentials.

Ambassador Al-Dosari conveyed to the Lebanese prime minister the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, SPA reported.

The Lebanese prime minister extended his best wishes for the ambassador’s success in his duties, emphasizing the importance of continuing efforts to strengthen the fraternal relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.