Saudi Arabia wants ties with both China and US, foreign minister says

Saudi Arabia wants ties with both China and US, foreign minister says

RIYADH: After a China-Arab summit hosted by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said that the kingdom wants to cooperate with both the United States and China and that while competition was good, polarisation was not. At a news conference Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that the Kingdom’s economy is expanding rapidly and “we need all partners”. The Kingdom does not believe in choosing between one partner and another. “We [have] strategic partnerships with [many] countries including the US, India and China,” he said, adding that cooperating with the world’s number two economy is necessary, however, this doesn’t mean not cooperating with the world’s number one economy. “We do not believe in in polarization or selecting between one partner and another,” he said, reiterating that the Kingdom will continue to set its policies “based on its own interests.” “We have mutual interests with [both] the US and China, and we will continue to work to achieve them,” he added. Earlier in the day, Chinese President Xi Jinping touted close security and energy ties with Gulf nations during summit meetings in Saudi Arabia. On the third and final day of his visit, Xi attended summits of the six-member Gulf Cooperation