China Saudi Arabia The World order is witnessing a change like never before and leading this change is China. China has found a new partner which used to be the most reliable partner the of USA. West Asia is a region known for its fierce geopolitics and oil reserves. President Xi Jinping is going to reach Riyadh for a three-day official visit. The two countries have a lot to offer as China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner.
China and Saudi Arabia Both governments have decided to willingly overlook each other alleged Human rights abuses. China and Saudi Arabia have deeply invested in building mega projects developing military drones. These signs can be viewed by Beijing’s presence growing in the region. Similarly, it is expected that China is going to sign a strategic partnership deal. As the change is the world gulf seems to agree that for a stronger and safe future.
As this relationship seems unrealistically ideal white house officials are kindly monitoring the visit as Saudi Arabia was a key ally and a major breach for the USA to influence the region, however, with the emerging influence of different countries like China and Russia the United States of America feels threatened.
China Saudi Arabia
China Saudi Arabia is making a very smart move by encroaching into an American protectorate. as Gulf countries have been dependent on the United States of America since the 1930s through military support. As the world is looking to strengthen the Geo economics china is becoming the largest trading partner not only of Saudi Arabia but all the other Gulf countries this step indicates the footprint of China in the Gulf countries.
China Saudi Arabia always pursues a kind of balanced approach to its diplomacy in the Middle East it does have to balance its relationship with Iran, and Turkey mainstay of its policy there however Saudi Arabia is by far its most important energy partner, and it has been a security partner in missiles technology and sales going back a long way. It’s important to change its positioning across the whole of the developing world and the non-aligned world.
china Saudi Arabia There is rebalancing going on in the Middle East as the US pivot to Asia balancing away from the depth of security role and the importance of the energy relationships In the region. China is positioning itself to occupy a more comprehensive role in the region in the longer term.
IMPACT ON INDIA
China Saudi Arabia Though it would be difficult to notice any immediate impact of Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia on India’s Middle East policy, there is no denying that India needs to be watchful of China’s intentions in the coming years. After all, India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest buyer of oil behind China.
Certainly, China will be able to wield greater influence in the Middle East. But more worrying for India is the security perspective, because Beijing has already established its first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017, just across from the Arab Peninsula. This makes China a player in the Red Sea and the Western Indian Ocean. Given the adversarial relations between China and India, China’s increasing ties with Saudi Arabia could be a matter of concern for India. By engaging in more civil works projects with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, China is shrewdly spreading its influence in this region.19
With the acquisition of more Middle Eastern resources, Beijing has grown in stature as not only a reliable and lucrative economic and trade partner but also a potential regional balancer and security provider. Seen differently, Xi’s Saudi Arabia visit meant that he cemented a serious challenge to the US.20
China Saudi Arabia’s main security provider since 1945 in return for an uninterrupted supply of oil, the US kept the relationship generally smooth despite the bumps experienced due to the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terror attacks on the US, when most of the perpetrators came from Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder.
Bilateral ties with China first took a swift upward turn when MBS made an official visit to China in August 2016, during which the two sides signed 15 MoUs in various fields including oil storage, water resources, cooperation on science and technology, and cultural cooperation worth billions of dollars. This was followed by a visit to China by MBS’s father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, in March 2017, which led to an increase in trade volume between the two countries to some US$65 billion in 2020.
Bilateral ties with the US nosedived when US President Barack Obama supported the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings starting in late 2010. Though Obama soon backed away in favor of upholding the status quo, Riyadh was convinced that US support could no longer be taken for granted. US President Donald Trump tried to reset the relationship by choosing Saudi Arabia as his first destination for a foreign visit, but the damage could not be undone.
After all, Trump wanted to counter Chinese sway over Saudi Arabia and also to secure lucrative arms and trade deals, and build an anti-Iran Arab-Israeli front. Bilateral ties soured again after the Khashoggi killing and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden’s efforts to correct this with his July 2022 visit did not stop Riyadh from joining forces with Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and the resultant energy crisis.
