Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Saudi Arabia Saturday on the first
leg of a diplomatic mission that will also take him to Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates.
China's official Xinhua news agency said that, in a meeting Saturday
with Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, Wen pressed Saudi
Arabia to open its huge oil and gas resources to expanded Chinese
investment.
The
kingdom's SPA news agency said Saudi state oil giant Aramco signed a
deal Saturday with China's Sinopec to build an oil refinery in the Red
Sea city of Yanbu that will process 400,000 barrels per day.
Wen arrived in Riyadh after a short visit to Nepal on the same day.
During his brief visit, Wen met with his Nepalese counterpart, Baburam
Bhattari, and oversaw the signing of several agreements. He also pledged
money for infrastructure projects to help rebuild the nation following a
decade-long civil war that ended in 2006.
