China’s growing relationship with Middle East

  Since 2011, as the U.S. has lost ground in the region, China has been forging tighter ties with Middle Eastern nations and expanding its economic influence there. Beijing, as opposed to Washington, places a higher priority on friendly, long-lasting, and economic ties than it does on inciting animosity, igniting conflict, and sowing instability. Saudi Arabian leaders in particular have praised China's non-interference strategy. However, many Western nations are concerned about China becoming a more significant influence in the Middle East.

Political commentators have recently focused more attention on the ties between Beijing and Riyadh, Washington's most significant ally in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia and China respect each other's sovereignty and refrain from meddling in one another's internal affairs. Both nations have built a unique partnership based on a win-win mindset throughout the years. The two nations became significantly closer throughout time, despite Saudi Arabia being the latest Muslim nation in the Middle East to recognize China as a country (1990).

China became the world's largest crude oil importer in 2017 after forging tighter ties with Middle Eastern nations after starting to purchase oil in 1993. The vast bulk of Beijing's oil comes from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia thus ranks among China's most important regional nations. China's total oil imports from Saudi Arabia increased to 17 percent in 2021, making it the country's top oil supplier, followed by Russia. Although commerce between Beijing and Riyadh totaled $65.2 billion in 2020, the two nations' trade volumes were balanced. Both nations work together on security problems in addition to developing into economic allies.

The bonds between the two nations have gotten closer in recent years. In 2019, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman traveled to Beijing where he attended a joint investment summit and witnessed the signing of 35 deals between Saudi Arabia and China totaling $28 billion. Sinopec and Saudi Aramco inked a Memorandum of Understanding in August of this year. Saudi Arabia and China have reportedly been discussing pricing some oil sales in Chinese yuan, according to the Wall Street Journal. Beijing and Riyadh are strengthening their relationship. It aspires to become more than a nation that only imports Saudi Arabian energy supplies. China wants to diversify its energy transit routes as one of its objectives.

As a result, the Belt and Road Initiative has encompassed numerous Middle Eastern nations (BRI). Significant investments have been made in these nations as a result of this inclusion. Over time, Saudi Arabia's involvement in BRI investments has grown dramatically. According to research by the Green Finance and Development Center in Shanghai, Saudi Arabia received the most BRI funding, amounting to around $5.5 billion in H1 2022.

All of these trends suggest that China and Saudi Arabia's relationship will continue to deepen in the future. Beijing and Riyadh's economies will become increasingly intertwined through the BRI. Beijing will have more chances to bridge the Middle Eastern friendship gap if relations between Washington and Riyadh deteriorate. But Washington will do every effort to preserve the status quo in the Gulf and safeguard its petrodollar status globally.

Beijing stands to benefit much from improving ties with Riyadh. Although there are no signs of tension between China and Saudi Arabia, it is unlikely that there will be much of one between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia depends on the United States for its security and for Washington to restrain Iran's regional influence.

Furthermore, the conflict between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel has increased regional insecurity and is not likely to stop any time soon. Beijing does not meddle in the internal issues of the Middle East thanks to its policy of "be everyone's friend, no one's enemy." The disadvantage is that it promotes Riyadh's close relations with Washington. Whatever the case, it's important to keep in mind that "A trip of a thousand miles begins with a single step" when considering the amazing relationship between China and Saudi Arabia.