China and Saudi Arabia sign US$28 billion in deals

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 22. The two sides signed US$28 billion worth of economic cooperation agreements. Beijing vowed support for Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification, and Riyadh endorsed China's “de-extremism” efforts in Xinjiang. The visit came after the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Istanbul. China has refrained for faulting Saudi Arabia on the case and the visit has stirred criticism on the Chinese social media.