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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia will be “an epoch-making milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations,” after Xi landed in Riyadh yesterday for a three-day visit.

“To hold the first China-Arab States Summit is a joint strategic decision of both sides to strengthen solidarity and coordination under the current circumstances,” she said, referring to the multilateral event tomorrow.

Saying that the summit “will be a blueprint for future cooperation” and expand the China-Arab “strategic partnership,” Mao outlined China’s goals for the region as building “strategic common understandings” with countries, developing strong coordination with Arab states, and promoting the development of multilateralism.

Noting that Beijing wants to play a greater security and economic role in the region, she stressed that it is imperative to advance China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to “contribute to peace and development” in the Middle East. “We hope to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era and identify the pathways and practical measures together,” she remarked.

Xi will also attend the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh during his visit to improve ties in the fields of economy, trade, energy, financial services, investment, high-tech, aerospace, language and culture.

“During the Summit, President Xi Jinping will have in-depth exchanges of views with leaders of the participating countries on China-GCC relations and issues of shared interest,” Mao said.

She also praised the development of bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia, saying that Beijing and Riyadh are “comprehensive strategic partners.” Noting that the two countries have “consolidated political trust,” Mao revealed that Xi will have “in-depth exchange of views” with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

Following his arrival in Riyadh, Xi said his visit is aimed at expanding ties with Saudi Arabia and Arab countries. Noting that the last time he visited the Kingdom in 2016, the two countries established a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” Xi said he has since worked to “steer bilateral relations on a path of significant progress.”

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Saudi and Chinese companies signed 34 investment agreements on the first day of Xi’s visit. Agreements were signed in the fields of green energy, green hydrogen, photovoltaic energy, information technology, cloud services, transportation, logistics, medical industries, housing, and construction factories.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih called on Chinese companies and investors and reap the benefits from “investing opportunities with rewarding returns.”

The chairperson of the Council of Saudi Chambers, Ajlan bin Abdulaziz Al Ajlan, urged China to link its BRI with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme, saying such a move would be “full of opportunities.” Last year, too, Crown Prince MBS urged Xi to consider merging BRI with Vision 2030, an initiative the Crown Prince first proposed in 2016 to signal the Kingdom’s plans to reduce its dependence on an oil-based economy. 

The initiative aims to boost sectors like health, education, infrastructure, and tourism. It also seeks to increase Saudi Arabia’s commitment to climate change initiatives by moving away from a fossil fuel-based industry. Riyadh hopes to achieve this through the NEOM Project, an ambitious initiative to build a smart city in the country’s northwest Tabuk province near the Red Sea by 2025.

As part of the project, Saudi Arabia has also proposed the construction of a 170-km long linear urban hub called “The Line”, which would have “zero cars, zero streets, and zero carbon emission.”

Saudi Economy Minister Faisal bin Fadel Al Ibrahim said Beijing and Riyadh share a “common strategic vision in the political, economic, trade, cultural, humanitarian, military, security and various energy fields.”

Saudi Arabia, a long-time ally of the United States (US), has recently improved relations with US rival China.

In March, Riyadh proposed pricing oil sales to China in yuan instead of the US dollar, a move that could potentially hurt the dollar’s dominance in the global oil market as well as its standing as the global reserve currency.

In December last year, US intelligence agencies reported that Saudi Arabia is manufacturing ballistic missiles with the help of China. Per reports, Riyadh had “sought help” from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, the Chinese military’s missile branch, to assist with the production.

China has also been trying to expand its footprint in the Middle East as the US appears to be gradually withdrawing from the region. In March, China and Iran signed a 25-year “strategic cooperation” agreement that focuses on bringing Tehran into the BRI. Furthermore, China increased its ties with the region through its vaccine diplomacy by supplying COVID-19 vaccines to the UAE, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, and Algeria.

Meanwhile, Saudi-US relations are at their lowest point in years, especially since Washington raised concerns about human rights abuses in the Kingdom and blamed MBS for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

The US also removed its Patriot missile defence system from Saudi Arabia in September 2021. Experts have noted that the move was seen by Riyadh as Washington abandoning a strategic ally, especially at a time when Yemen’s Houthi rebels have increased missile and drone attacks on Saudi facilities.

In addition, Saudi officials raised concerns regarding the US’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in August last year, which resulted in the Taliban returning to power and the further destabilisation of the war-torn country. Riyadh is also opposed to the Biden administration’s push to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a move the Saudis believe could enable Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia fears that reviving the deal would provide Tehran with sanctions relief and allow it to release greater funds to the Houthis, with whom Saudi Arabia has been waging a seven-year-long war.

Furthermore, the US has criticised the Saudi-led Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) for cutting oil production by two million barrels per day, a move Washington says will disrupt global energy markets and help Russia fund its war in Ukraine.

Against this backdrop, the White House said on Wednesday that Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia is “not conducive” to the international order, as China is trying to expand its influence in the Middle East. “We believe that many of the things they’re trying to pursue and the manner in which they’re trying to pursue it are not conducive to preserving the international rules-based order,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

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