King Abdullah due in January

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to make a tour of China, India and Pakistan in January, his first trip outside the region since taking office in August, diplomatic sources told AFP on Tuesday.
"The tour will happen in the last week of January and comes in response to invitations made by the leaders of these countries to the Saudi king," the sources said.
Abdullah, who took over the helm of the oil-rich kingdom from King Fahd in August, visited China and Pakistan during his decade as crown prince and de-facto ruler of the conservative country.
Most of the 12 million foreigners living in Gulf countries are Indian and Pakistani migrant workers who amount to around a third of the total population.