Saudi Arabia signs energy accord

China has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia calling for greater cooperation and investment in oil, natural gas and minerals, the Wall Street Journal reported. President Hu Jintao and King Abdullah signed the pact and four other accords during the monarch’s first official visit to China. The other agreements focused on nurturing economic, trade and technical cooperation; avoiding dual taxation and preventing tax evasion; cooperating on vocational training; and extending a Saudi Arabian Development Bank loan to the predominantly Muslim city of Aksu in western China.