Oil-hungry China courts Saudi king

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his first ever state visit and analysts said China wants to draw closer to the Middle Eastern oil power without challenging Saudi ties to Washington.

..“If the US is willing to keep soldiers there, we are happy to keep quiet. This trip has potential (only) in the imaginations of people in Washington who worry about the China connection … maybe it’s in the Saudi interest to leave room for imagination,” said Chen Fengying of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a government think-tank.

Khaleej Times