Prince Salman aims to seal partnerships on high-profile Asia tours

BEIJING: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Beijing yesterday as the monarch aims to seal partnerships on a high-profile Asia tour following a diplomatic crisis over a journalist's murder. Mohammed is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on his two-day trip to the Chinese capital following visits to Pakistan and India.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road global trade infrastructure initiative will be on the agenda, as the two countries look to improve their economic ties.

"Saudi Arabia has a lot of capital that needs to find profitable places to be deployed," Saudi energy and industry minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih told China's official Xinhua news agency.

"China is a great place to invest with a huge market and an improving environment," he said. The two countries will sign agreements and memorandums of understanding in the energy, investment, transport and technology fields, said the Saudi ambassador to China Turki bin Mohammed Al-Madi, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

In Pakistan, the monarch signed a raft of investment deals worth up to $20 billion for the cash-strapped South Asian country. On Wednesday, the monarch met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country counts Saudi Arabia as one of its key crude suppliers.

Crack down on terrorism

After his meeting with Modi, Mohammed said the kingdom saw investment opportunities in "various fields to exceed $100 billion". Mohammed also vowed to crack down on terrorism with Modi, as their meeting was overshadowed by a suicide bomb attack that India has blamed on Pakistan-a key Saudi ally.

His visit to China also comes on the heels of a visit by the parliament speaker of the kingdom's arch-rival Iran, Ali Larijani, who met with Xi on Wednesday. - AFP