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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".

☆ 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.

Dec 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the fiance of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing President Biden's grant of immunity. U.S. District Judge John Bates suggested he was reluctant to throw out the lawsuit but had no choice given the Biden administration's decision. Biden was criticized for fist-bumping the crown prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues. The White House said Biden had told Prince Mohammed that he considered him responsible for Khashoggi's killing. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers he needed to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

☆ Saudi Arabia will soon make $5 bln deposit with Turkey -Saudi finance minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RIYADH, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will place a $5 billion deposit at Turkey's central bank "within days," the kingdom's finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said on Wednesday. The decision was taken between us and Turkey," he told reporters, saying discussions were on remaining details and the deposit could happen "within days." "There is great improvement in our relationship with Turkey and we aspire for investment opportunities in Turkey and other countries," he said. A Saudi finance ministry spokesman told Reuters on Nov. 22 that the two states were in "final discussion" on the deposit. The momentum of talks between the countries' central banks comes after Ankara and Riyadh's joint effort to mend ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

Rumors of a Chinese presidential visit to the US’ largest Middle East ally have been circulating for months, but are yet to be confirmed by the governments of Saudi Arabia and China. Beijing has not made an official announcement that Xi will visit Saudi Arabia. A strong US ally for eight long decades, Saudi Arabia has become bitter over what it perceives to be waning US security presence in the region, especially amid growing threats from Iran and its armed Yemeni proxies. Both China and Saudi Arabia have also taken different stances to the West with regards to the Ukraine war. Biden said in October that the US has to “rethink” its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which the President had seemingly tried to repair in a July visit to Riyadh.

☆ Analysis: Saudi prince seeks Mideast leadership, independence with Xi's visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment on Xi's visit and its agenda. It is China's top oil supplier, although fellow OPEC+ producer Russia has increased its Chinese market share with lower-priced fuel. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, diplomats have told Reuters. U.S. officials have declined to comment when asked about Saudi-China bilateral relations ahead of Xi's visit. "The relationships with China pale versus those with the United States in terms of both complexity and intimacy," he said.

☆ Biden vowed 'consequences' for Saudi Arabia after oil production cut. But the U.S. has no plans to follow through.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly two months after President Joe Biden vowed "there will be consequences" for Saudi Arabia’s actions to cut oil production, the U.S. is not actively considering any significant retaliatory actions against the kingdom, according to two U.S. officials. U.S. and Saudi relations hit a low point after Saudi Arabia pushed OPEC members to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day at their Oct. 6 meeting. Officials, however, also anticipate calls for imposing a cost on Saudi Arabia to ramp back up if OPEC again cuts oil production. The Biden administration's about-face on the oil issue is not the first time it has failed to follow through on a threat to Saudi Arabia. In the lead-up to the 2020 election, Biden vowed to treat Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" state in response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

☆ Saudi Arabia is now backpedaling, seeking to mend ties with Biden after Democrats fared better-than-expected in the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Saudi Arabia is seeking to repair relations with the US after a recent diplomatic spat. Democrats accused Saudi Arabia of seeking to damage the party in the midterms by cutting oil production. But instead, Biden's party emerged with their control of the Senate intact, and with a smaller-than-expected loss of seats in the House. Saudi Arabia is now walking a tightrope, said Chatham House's Quilliam. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is also keenly aware, said Quilliam, that the Middle East is no longer a key strategic priority for Washington.

[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.

Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Biden administration ruled on Thursday that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain journalist's former fiancee. In late September, Saudi King Salman named Prince Mohammed prime minister in a royal decree which a Saudi official said was in line with responsibilities that the crown prince was already exercising. FIST-BUMPBiden was criticized for fist-bumping the crown prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues. The White House said Biden had told Prince Mohammed that he considered him responsible for Khashoggi's killing. In a highly charged global atmosphere, the United States is keen to prevent its long-time ally from further distancing itself.

☆ 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.

[1/2] Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is pictured during his meeting with South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, November 17, 2022. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSNov 17 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has determined that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has legal immunity from a lawsuit filed against him over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing on Thursday. The prince has denied ordering Khashoggi's killing but acknowledged later that it took place "under my watch." Biden, who fist-bumped the crown prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues, had told Prince Mohammed that he considered him responsible for Khashoggi's killing. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers he needed to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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."

☆ Saudi defense officials rented suites at Trump's DC hotel that cost $10,500 right before MBS visited White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Officials from six countries spent over $750k at Trump's DC hotel in 2017 and 2018, documents show. The officials stayed at Trump's hotel amid rocky periods in relations between their countries and the US. Saudi officials spent nearly $86k in March 2018. The Saudi officials spent nearly $86,000 from March 7 to March 18, including renting several $10,500 suites. Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, was explicitly implicated in Khashoggi's killing by the US government.

☆ Trump defended hosting the Saudi-backed LIV golf tournament by saying 'We have human rights issues' too. Human rights experts agrees and say Trump himself was responsible for many during his presidenc
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Human rights groups have previously called Trump out for exacerbating human rights violations while president. "We have human rights issues in this country too," Trump said on October 30 after reporters asked whether he was concerned about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups have acknowledged that the US, like many countries, has its share of human rights issues and violations. Alison Leal Parker, Managing Director for the US Program at Human Rights Watch, told Insider that "the wholesale assault" of fundamental human rights under Trump was "unprecedented." "Every previous administration, including the current one, including the Biden administration, has been responsible for human rights violations," Parker said.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Monday called for an immediate investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia's stake in Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media company. “The purpose of these reviews is clear: to protect the national security interests of the United States and American citizens,” Murphy wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who leads CIFIUS. Late last week, Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company and the private office of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said they would help Musk finance his Twitter deal by rolling over their ownership of shares of the company worth about $1.89 billion, according to a statement tweeted by Alwaleed. Together all the way @Twitter,” Prince Alwaleed tweeted. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, owns nearly 17 percent of Kingdom Holding, according to Reuters.

☆ Analysis: LIV Golf vows next year will be bigger and better
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Oct 30, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Dustin Johnson , Patrick Reed , Talor Gooch and Pat Perez celebrates team 4Aces GC winning the season finale of the LIV Golf series at Trump National Doral. If sportwashing was the objective of LIV Golf, it failed miserably instead drawing attention to a number of Saudi involvements from the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to the Kingdom's treatment of women. Describing LIV's Saudi backers "as good people with unlimited money", Trump teased that even more big names will be signing onto the rebel circuit next year. But LIV proved at Miami that it can produce an entertaining product appealing to a younger audience who descended on Trump National as much for the party as the golf. If LIV Golf is to evolve into a major player it will also need to eventually find a broadcast deal and sponsors which so far have appeared hesitant to get onboard.

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