Relations with Western partners are clouded, now that Saudi Arabia is establishing closer ties with China: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (37) received the head of state of the People’s Republic with all honors in his palace on Thursday. The de facto ruler of the Gulf state and Xi Jinping (69) talked about expanding their cooperation and further mutual investments, the state news agency SPA reports.
An agreement on a “strategic partnership” was signed. With this, Saudi Arabia also sends a signal to the West on which the country does not want to be dependent.
Biden does not want to allow a power vacuum
Five months ago, US President Joe Biden (80) traveled to the UK to promote an expansion of oil production. Instead, OPEC countries, led by Saudi Arabia, have cut production. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been a close ally of the US.
In addition to the dispute over oil, Biden had repeatedly sharply criticized human rights violations in the kingdom. US intelligence has accused Mohammed bin Salman of authorizing the 2018 killing of anti-government journalist Khashoggis at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The visit in the summer could not completely repair the broken relationship with Saudi Arabia. However, Biden reaffirmed the United States’ claim to leadership in the region: the United States would not “leave a vacuum for China, Russia or Iran to fill.”
Apparently that is exactly what Beijing intends to do. In a newspaper article published on the occasion of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Xi Jinping wrote that he wanted to usher in “a new era for relations between China and the Arab world”. Thanks to their mineral resources, industries and construction services, the countries in the region are “countries of enormous potential”.
Uyghur persecution is hushed up
Relations between Saudi Arabia and China, once quite tenuous, have deepened in recent years. China is now an important trading partner of Saudi Arabia, which – unlike the West – keeps out of the country’s internal affairs. Beijing, in turn, is heavily dependent on Saudi oil and pays tens of billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia every year.
During the visit, Xi also planned to attend the first summit between China and the Arab countries. The Egyptian head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (68) and other high-ranking politicians from the region also traveled to the event. A meeting with King Salman (86) was also on the agenda for the Chinese head of state.
The heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia wants to modernize the country and make the economy less dependent on oil. The country also plans to build a megacity on the Red Sea. The Saudi leadership also wants to attract Chinese investors to the project. As part of the journey, companies from both countries signed deals worth billions.
The persecution of China’s Uyghur Muslim minority, hundreds of thousands of whom human rights activists say have been sent to re-education camps, was not a theme during Xi’s visit to the Sunni kingdom. Saudi Arabia also apparently wants to stay out of its partner’s internal affairs.
Despite all the harmony between the two states, Saudi Arabia still needs the US and its security guarantees in the region against the common archenemy Iran. China cannot offer an alternative here. (SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
