Amid reports of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia next week, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration said the US would not disappear from the Middle East.
There has been speculation about the US’s diminishing influence in the region as China and Saudi Arabia seek to strengthen their ties.
“The major message that the president brought to the region is that the United States is not going anywhere,” US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said referring to Biden’s July visit.
Xi Jinping could potentially meet with President Biden in November during his trip to Southeast Asia, as he said to his American counterpart that “now is not the time for crisis.”