Saudi delegation heads to China without crown prince due to king’s illness – sources

FILE - Saudi special forces salute in front of a screen displaying images of Saudi King Salman, right, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Saudi special forces salute in front of a screen displaying images of Saudi King Salman, right, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation that includes the kingdom’s investment minister to China this week, four people familiar with the matter say, as the world’s largest oil exporter looks for foreign funding for its ambitious economic transformation.

Two other people briefed on the visit said that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the kingdom’s prime minister and de facto day-to-day ruler, had been expected to lead the delegation to China. He will, however, stay in Riyadh after his elderly father, the king, underwent medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for lung inflammation.

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