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☆ China’s Xi Jinping Meets Saudi Crown Prince in Pivotal Visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit set to strengthen ties between the two countries. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Saudi leaders Thursday at the start of a multiday state visit, as the oil-rich desert kingdom strengthens ties with U.S. rivals amid doubts about Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , who runs the kingdom’s daily affairs, greeted the Chinese leader with a handshake on arrival at Al Yamamah Palace, the seat of the Saudi monarchy. A Saudi honor guard welcomed Mr. Xi before Prince Mohammed accompanied him inside to meet his father, King Salman . The two sides are expected to sign some 20 initial agreements worth more than $29 billion total before attending a large gathering of Gulf and Arab leaders on Friday.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Deepens Saudi Ties in Pivotal Trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a pivotal visit to the Middle East, where the world’s top oil importer deepened relations with the top exporter, in commercial agreements that included energy and technology deals but stopped short of explicitly expanding military cooperation. An honor guard welcomed the Chinese leader and Prince Mohammed greeted him with a handshake at the Saudi Royal Court on Thursday. Mr. Xi then met King Salman , and the two men signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement affording Riyadh top-tier status in China’s foreign relations. They pledged to visit each other every two years.

☆ Saudi Arabia did not mediate in Griner release, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Cherelle Griner speak on the phone with WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner after her release by Russia, in this White House handout photo taken in the Oval Office, as Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on, at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 8, 2022. The White House/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The release of basketball star player Brittney Griner was negotiated between the United States and Russia only, the White House said on Thursday, denying a Saudi Arabia statement that it was involved. "The only countries that negotiated this deal were the United States and Russia," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, when asked about Saudi Arabia's role. Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a onetime Russian weapons dealer who had been convicted in the United States and imprisoned for 10 years. “We are also grateful to other countries including Saudi Arabia” that raised the issue of detained Americans with the Russian government, she said.

It stood in stark contrast to the low-key welcome extended in July to U.S. President Joe Biden, with whom ties have been strained by Saudi energy policy and the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi that had overshadowed the awkward visit. In an op-ed published in Saudi media, Xi said he was on a "pioneering trip" to "open a new era of China's relations with the Arab world, the Arab countries of the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia". [1/6] Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 8, 2022. Chinese and Saudi firms also signed 34 deals for investment in green energy, information technology, cloud services, transport, construction and other sectors, state news agency SPA reported. While Saudi Arabia was an important U.S. ally, she noted, "in recent years, it has upheld its strategic autonomy, resisted the pressure of the United States".

☆ UAE president, Saudi crown prince led mediation to release Griner - joint statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates president and Saudi crown prince led mediation efforts that secured the release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap with Russia, a joint UAE-Saudi statement said on Thursday. "The success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of the mutual and solid friendship between their two countries and the United States of America and the Russian Federation," the joint statement said. It "highlighted the important role played by the leaderships of the two brotherly countries in promoting dialogue between all parties". Saudi Arabia had scored an earlier diplomatic victory in September by securing freedom for foreign fighters captured in Ukraine, at a time of tension between Riyadh and Washington. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both traditional U.S. allies, are members of the OPEC+ oil producers alliance that includes Russia and have resisted Western pressure to help isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ China’s Xi gets a warm welcome from MBS in Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi state TV showed a grand ceremony laid out for the Chinese leader, as bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler known as MBS, received him at Al-Yamamah Palace. Chinese and Saudi Arabian flags dotted the premises as members of the Saudi Royal Guard lined up with swords and played music. The two leaders smiled warmly and looked on for photographs, a contrast to the atmosphere of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia earlier in the year. Xi landed in the capital Riyadh on Wednesday, where he was received by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, and Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Al Salman Palace, in Jeddah in July.

Griner arrived in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi by private plane from Moscow as Bout was flown in on a private plane from Washington. Bout, nicknamed the "merchant of death," embraced a Russian official who greeted him and smiled broadly as he was led away. A joint UAE-Saudi statement said the UAE president and Saudi crown prince led mediation efforts that secured Griner's release. Griner was exchanged for Bout, a onetime Russian weapons dealer who had been convicted in the United States and imprisoned for 10 years. During the prisoner swap, Griner was met on the tarmac in UAE by chief U.S. hostage negotiator Roger Carstens.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Visits Saudi Arabia Amid Strained U.S. Ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured wearing a tie, is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also pictured, later this week. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping is headed to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that could deepen the relationship between the world’s top oil importer and top oil exporter amid strained U.S.-Saudi ties and a global reshuffling of power accelerated by the Ukraine war. Both sides say their relations remain primarily economic. China is Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner and the biggest buyer of its oil, a trend that is only expected to accelerate. But growing military and geopolitical aspects of their interactions alarm Washington, long the dominant security force in an energy-rich region that is now seeking additional partners including U.S. rivals.

☆ Xi Jinping: Saudi's MBS rolls out the red carpet for China's president, in a not too subtle message to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Saudi leaders will infuse the trip with a dose of spectacle. The Saudi king – or his powerful Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman – may bestow the Chinese leader with some honors and medals. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Al Salman Palace, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15. Today, the US consumes only a fraction of that Saudi oil, and China is Saudi Arabia’s biggest client and trading partner. Over the last year, Gulf Arab countries appear to have ramped up their independent-minded policy.

☆ Judge dismisses lawsuit over Khashoggi's murder after the Biden administration backed immunity for MBS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A judge dismissed a suit against Mohammed bin Salman in connection to Jamal Khashoggi's death. The decision came just weeks after the Biden administration contended that the Saudi ruler, often referred to as "MBS," should be granted immunity. "Accordingly, the claims against bin Salman will be dismissed based on head-of-state-immunity," Bates added. A declassified intelligence report released by the Biden administration last year explicitly implicated MBS in Khashoggi's killing. On the campaign trail, Biden pledged to make the oil-rich kingdom a "pariah" over Khashoggi's murder.

☆ U.S. court dismisses suit against Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had written critically of the harsh ways of Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. The U.S. intelligence community concluded the Saudi crown prince ordered the operation against Khashoggi. The Biden administration already had spared Prince Mohammed from government penalties in the case, again citing sovereign immunity. Rights groups and Saudi exiles argued that sparing Prince Mohammed from accountability in Khashoggi's killing would give the crown prince and other authoritarian rulers around the world a green light for future abuses.

☆ Credit Suisse's investment bank draws interest from Saudi crown prince, WSJ reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Investors including Saudi Arabia's crown prince and a U.S. private-equity firm run by a former Barclays CEO have shown interest in investing $1 billion or more in Credit Suisse's (CSGN.S) new investment banking unit, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Credit Suisse did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Seeking to restore vigor to a business that has been languishing, Credit Suisse in October said that it will reshape its investment bank by resurrecting the First Boston brand. Credit Suisse's history with the First Boston brand dates to 1978 when the pair linked up to operate in the London bond market. Some bankers and investors have expressed scepticism over its ability to regain its past glory in a shrinking market.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and a U.S. private-equity firm run by Barclays PLC’s former chief executive are among investors preparing to invest $1 billion or more into Credit Suisse ‘s new investment bank, people familiar with the matter said. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is considering an investment of around $500 million to back the new unit, CS First Boston, and its CEO-designate, Michael Klein , some of the people said. Additional financial backing could come from U.S. investors including veteran banker Bob Diamond ‘s Atlas Merchant Capital, people familiar with that potential investment said. Credit Suisse previously said it had $500 million committed from an additional investor it hasn’t named.

☆ Saudi Arabia announces plans for six-runway hub airport in Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Monday plans to transform Riyadh airport into a massive aviation hub with six parallel runways and designed to accommodate up to 120 million travellers by 2030, state news agency SPA reported. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), will build King Salman International Airport, which should stretch over 57 square kilometres (22.01 square miles) and include current King Khaled airport, SPA said. Aviation is part of a government strategy to become a global transportation and logistics hub by 2030, with Riyadh airport as the operation base of a brand new airline, RIA, that would compete with regional heavyweights Emirates and Qatar Airways. The kingdom has set itself high targets for diversifying its economy and reducing its dependence on oil, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into a plan called Vision 2030 initiated by the kingdom's de facto ruler Prince Mohammed. It added King Salman airport would create 103,000 direct and indirect jobs, handle 185 million travellers and process 3.5 million tons of cargo by 2050.

☆ Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal: 'I'm waiting for someone to wake me up,' says Saudi sports minister after remarkable win over Argentina
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A day after Saudi Arabia’s historic win against Argentina at the Qatar World Cup, the Kingdom’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal says he’s “waiting for someone to wake me up.”“It’s been an unbelievable result. Saudi Arabia's victory is the most famous in the Arab world, alongside Algeria's victory over West Germany in 1982. People that don’t know Saudi Arabia, have never been to Saudi Arabia, go out and talk about it as if they’ve lived there for 30 years, 40 years. In honor of the team’s historic win, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered a national public holiday for a day on Wednesday. Asked if Saudi Arabia would put in a bid, similar to its takeover of Newcastle United last year, Prince Abdulaziz didn’t confirm nor deny.

[1/2] Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud arrives to attend the APEC Leader's Informal Dialogue with Guests during the APEC 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 November 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the immunity decision did not speak to a review of Washington's relationship with Saudi Arabia, which was ongoing. HISTORIC LOWSaudi ties with the United States and the wider West are still at a historic low point. When Saudi Arabia consequently took its security into its own hands with its war in Yemen, it saw Western criticism as hypocritical. Saudi Arabia would likely still prefer to have a U.S. security umbrella.

☆ Saudi denies oil output hike discussion, says OPEC+ may cut if needed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Wall Street Journal earlier on Monday reported an output increase of 500,000 barrels per day was under discussion for the next meeting of OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, on Dec. 4. Oil prices, which had slid more than 5% to below $83 a barrel after the Wall Street Journal report , pared losses following the minister's comments. Last month, OPEC+ unexpectedly decided to reduce output targets sharply. It would be unusual for the group to increase production at a time of declining prices and growing concern about the economic outlook. Prince Abdulaziz was also quoted as saying OPEC+ was ready to reduce output further if needed.

☆ Saudi Arabia eyes OPEC+ production increase - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and other OPEC oil producers are discussing an output increase, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing unidentified delegates within the group. An increase of up to 500,000 barrels per day is now under discussion for OPEC+'s Dec. 4 meeting, the report said. Last month, OPEC+ unexpectedly decided to reduce output targets sharply and it would be unusual for the group to increase production at a time of declining prices and concern about the economic outlook. The WSJ said talk of a production increase has emerged after U.S. President Joe Biden's administration told a federal court judge that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should have sovereign immunity from a U.S. federal lawsuit related to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The energy minister for Saudi Arabia, the OPEC+ de-facto leader, was quoted as saying earlier this month the group will remain cautious.

☆ China-Canada clash between Xi and Trudeau reminds autocrats what the free world is like
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Brett Bruen | Brett Bruen Was The Director Of Global Engagement In The Obama White House | A Career American Diplomat. He Currently Runs Crisis Communications Agency The Global Situation Room | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Then there were the reported leaks about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau taking China’s President Xi Jinping to task for alleged malicious meddling in his country’s elections. What these leaders most detest, as evidenced by Xi’s videotaped temper tantrum with Trudeau, is transparency. Leaders like Xi and Putin are starting to realize their limits, along with the liabilities that come with surrounding themselves with sycophants. What these leaders most detest, as evidenced by Xi’s videotaped temper tantrum with Trudeau, is transparency. Obama held three times as many joint press conferences with world leaders at this point in his presidency.

☆ Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend Qatar World Cup on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Doha late on Saturday to attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup on Sunday, the Amiri Diwan of Qatar said. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have improved ties after a resolution early last year to end a political row that had led to Saudi Arabia, along with UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, boycotting Doha for over three years. Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Mahmoud MouradOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden Administration Says Saudi Crown Prince Has Immunity in Khashoggi Trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration told a U.S. court that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’s status as a sitting head of government shields him from a civil lawsuit brought by the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Khashoggi, a former royal insider who criticized Prince Mohammed’s policies in Washington Post columns, was killed in 2018 and his body dismembered by Saudi agents during a visit to the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate where he was seeking papers needed to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

☆ U.S. moves to shield Saudi crown prince in killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The U.S. intelligence community concluded Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had approved the killing of the widely known and respected journalist, who had written critically of Prince Mohammed’s harsh ways of silencing of those he considered rivals or critics. The Biden administration statement Thursday noted visa restrictions and other penalties that it had meted out to lower-ranking Saudi officials in the death. Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, and DAWN sued the crown prince, his top aides and others in Washington federal court over their alleged roles in Khashoggi’s killing. Prince Mohammed serves as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler in the stead of his aged father, King Salman. The Saudi king in September also temporarily transferred his title of prime minister — a title normally held by the Saudi monarch — to Prince Mohammed.

☆ Khashoggi's fiancée says the slain journalist 'died again' after Biden argued for MBS to have immunity in lawsuit over the murder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Azmi Haroun | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi criticized the Biden administration on Thursday. argued that the Saudi Crown Prince deserves immunity, per international law. Hatice Cengiz said Khashoggi "died again" as a result of the US position on Prince Mohammed. "I'm not going to meet with MBS," Biden told reporters in June. Khashoggi's fiancée also criticized the meeting between Biden and MBS, sharing a tweet captioned, "What Jamal Khashoggi would tweet today."

☆ U.S. moves to shield Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Khashoggi killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration declared Thursday that the high office held by Saudi Arabia's crown prince should shield him from lawsuits for his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist, a turnaround from Joe Biden's passionate campaign trail denunciations of Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the brutal slaying. The State Department on Thursday called the administration's decision to try to protect the Saudi crown prince from U.S. courts in Khashoggi's killing "purely a legal determination." The State Department cited what it said was longstanding precedent. Saudi officials killed Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The U.S. intelligence community concluded Saudi Arabia's crown prince had approved the killing of the widely known and respected journalist, who had written critically of Prince Mohammed's harsh ways of silencing of those he considered rivals or critics.

☆ US officials say Saudi crown prince has legal immunity in Khashoggi murder, a stark contrast to Biden's pledge to hold him to account
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It made the argument after Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée sued the Saudi crown prince in the US. It is an abrupt shift from Biden's earlier pledges to hold Crown Prince Mohammed to account. There, he was murdered and dismembered by agents the CIA says were working on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's direct orders. The Biden administration argued that since Crown Prince Mohammed was recently appointed as Saudi Arabia's prime minister, he has "sovereign immunity" from prosecution. While there Biden said he confronted Crown Prince Mohammed over the murder, a claim Saudi officials later disputed.

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