DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Gulf Arab leaders and others in the Mideast met Friday in Saudi Arabia as part of a state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, seeking to firm up their relations with Beijing as decades of U.S. attention on the region wanes.

Before a joint meeting with Xi, representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in a summit helmed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, further signaling his control of a kingdom still overseen by his father, the 86-year-old King Salman.

Among them was Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose country now hosts the FIFA World Cup and has largely restored ties to its Arab neighbors after a yearslong boycott. Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, whose island nation still has strained relations with Qatar, also attended.

Prince Mohammed made a point in his opening remarks, aired on state television, to applaud Qatar for its hosting of the World Cup. He also could be seen warmly greeting Sheikh Tamim before the meeting, something unthinkable only two years earlier amid the boycott.

The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The leader of the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, did not attend, instead sending the ruler of the emirate of Fujairah, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. Kuwait's crown prince and a representative of Oman's sultan also attended.

Xi's visit comes as China relies on the Gulf Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, for billions of dollars in crude oil imports to power his country's economy. While the U.S. still maintains bases across the region and stations tens of thousands of troops, Gulf Arab nations feel Washington's attention has shifted elsewhere after the end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

They also want to maintain relations with China even as U.S. officials believe they face a growing threat from China in Asia and Russia as Moscow wages its monthslong war on Ukraine.