BEIJING, China — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Friday with China’s President Xi Jinping and bagged a $10 billion oil deal, pressing on with his diplomatic charm offensive in Asia following a global outcry over the Khashoggi killing. “Is the crown prince’s tour symbolic of Saudi Arabia’s pivot to the East? Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the prince, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October, a murder that tarnished the image of the kingdom and of the crown prince in particular. “As the kingdom diversifies its non-oil economy, it needs a variety of other investors with technical expertise, including the Chinese,” Otaibi said. The Saudis said it “firmly supported” Beijing’s efforts to keep the country secure, and opposed “interference by external forces in China’s internal affairs”, said Xinhua, paraphrasing remarks from the crown prince.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 22, 2019 11:26 UTC