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Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed on Friday to import more oil and natural gas from energy-rich Gulf Arab states while not interfering in their affairs, likely seeking to cast Beijing in a more favourable light than Washington as America's attention in the region wanes. Xi also urged the Arab countries to conduct energy sales in the Chinese yuan, potentially divorcing the U.S. dollar from transactions in a region where the United States still stations thousands of troops across a network of local bases as a hedge against Iran. China's hands-off approach could appeal to leaders such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who stands ready to rule the oil-rich kingdom for possibly decades, even after facing widespread international criticism over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the still-raging war in Yemen. During Xi's visit to Saudi Arabia this week, the prince himself welcomed him to a meeting of the clubby Gulf Cooperation Council, and later to a wide
Gulf Arab countries have asked Netflix to remove offensive content on the streaming service, apparently targeting programs that show people who are gay and lesbian. A joint statement issued on behalf of a committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council made the request, saying the unspecified programs contradict Islamic and societal values ??and principles. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates each published the statement via their respective governments as well. They, along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, make up the six-nation council. While the statement didn't elaborate, Saudi state television also aired video of an interview it conducted with a woman identified as a behavioral consultant who described Netflix as being an official sponsor of homosexuality. It aired footage at the same time of a cartoon that had two women embrace, though the footage was blurred out. Saudi state television also aired a segment suggesting Netflix could be banned in the kingdom over that ...