Chinese attendance at Saudi conference doubles as Riyadh courts Beijing | Reuters
Around 300 Chinese "decision makers" are attending Saudi Arabia's flagship investment conference this year, organisers said on Thursday, double last year's attendance as Riyadh deepens its relationship with China despite U.S. concerns.
Only around 15 people have cancelled their attendance of the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII), Richard Attias, CEO of the FII Institute said, as the war in Gaza spurred fears of a wider conflict that could affect the Gulf region.
"All the biggest and most important speakers are insisting on coming," Attias told reporters.
Wall Street financiers and Western investors have been the stars of the FII gathering since its launch by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 to promote the kingdom's economic diversification plans.
But Riyadh's relationship with Washington frayed under President Joe Biden over several issues, including closer Saudi ties with China. In defiance of its key Western ally, Prince Mohammed invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the kingdom and launched a Chinese-Arab summit.
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