Saudi Arabia deepens ties with China through security partnership

Saudi Arabia has agreed to become a "dialogue partner" with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a political, economic, and security bloc led by China. The move comes after a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia last December and could grant Riyadh dialogue partner status in the bloc. Other countries with either observer or dialogue partner status include Egypt, Iran, and Qatar. The decision followed an announcement by Saudi Aramco, which raised its multibillion-dollar investment in China on Tuesday.