In July, Joe Biden was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia. “We will not go away and leave a vacuum that will be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” the American President told journalists at the time.
That was his core message – but a message that, as it now turns out, is more likely to be wishful thinking than reality. Because China’s President Xi Jinping ended his three-day visit to Riyadh this Friday with a bulging order book.
34 investment agreements were signed, which are estimated at around 30 billion dollars. Political observers are now asking a fundamental question: does Saudi Arabia still need America?
The Tel Aviv Middle East specialist Uzi Rabi describes the geopolitical consequences of the visit as “dramatic”. Xi has distinguished himself as China’s representative in the Middle East, especially because Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) also organized meetings for him with Arab rulers and monarchs from the Gulf region.
This is a clear signal to Washington, says Rabi: “The Saudis are signaling that they have decided to reduce US influence in the region.” Among others, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took part in the Arab-Chinese summit of Egypt and Kais Saied of Tunisia, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sudan’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Rabi is convinced that the Saudis will continue to expand cooperation with China once MBS is on the throne. The future monarch says goodbye to the 20th-century paradigm of Riyadh relying solely on the United States.
Traditionally, the United States and Saudi Arabia have been close partners, but lately the disagreements have been mounting.
(Photo: VIA REUTERS)
The message to Washington is clear, says Rabi: “We have alternatives.” In the future, Chinese-Saudi cooperation is to be expanded and consolidated every two years through summit meetings. This institutionalizes the dialogue.
Five months ago, US President Joe Biden traveled to the UK to promote an increase in oil production. Instead, the Opec countries, led by Saudi Arabia, cut production, much to the chagrin of the United States. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been a close US ally. In addition to the dispute over oil, Biden had repeatedly sharply criticized human rights violations in the kingdom.
Saudi officials have dismissed the accusation that the kingdom is playing the two superpowers off against each other, emphasizing that Riyadh simply wants to diversify its foreign relations. However, the agreement with the Chinese smartphone manufacturer and network supplier Huawei shows how detached the Saudis are from Western interests when making decisions.
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Western countries suspect that Huawei is too closely tied to the government in Beijing and that the group is being misused to spy on state and company secrets. The US has therefore opposed Huawei’s expansion in the region. But Riyadh has agreed with Beijing that the Chinese company will implement fast mobile Internet that will reach ten gigabytes per second. The company is also said to be developing cloud storage in Saudi Arabia.
Washington has repeatedly warned that data-sensitive deals with China could impair cooperation between the United States and Arab countries. Political observers assume that the United States observed the Chinese President’s state visit very closely.
“We are aware that Beijing wants to expand its influence around the world,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, commented on Xi’s visit to Riyadh. “The Middle East is certainly one of those regions where they want to expand their influence.”
America isn’t asking countries in the Middle East to choose between Washington and Beijing, Kirby said. However, US policies are “better suited to preserving prosperity and security for countries around the world than those being demonstrated or touted by China.”
We are aware that Beijing wants to expand its influence around the world. The Middle East is certainly one of those regions where they want to expand their influence. John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council
From a purely economic point of view, the closer cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing is certainly lucrative for both sides. Orders worth tens of billions of dollars are waiting in Saudi Arabia for the Chinese economy, which was hit by the Covid crisis.
Saudi Arabia wants to make itself independent of oil
The “Vision 2030” strategic plan, with which Saudi Arabia wants to free its economy from oil dependence by the end of the decade, offers Chinese companies “unprecedented investment opportunities,” Saudi Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih told the guests from Beijing.
He named sectors such as renewable energy, IT, biotechnology, tourism and infrastructure projects. For example, China will complete 300,000 houses and Enovate Motors will build a factory that is expected to produce 100,000 electric cars a year. In any case, Riyadh and Beijing are important trading partners. Beijing is also dependent on Saudi oil and pays tens of billions of dollars a year to Riyadh for this.
In a guest post for Saudi media, Xi described his visit as a “pioneering trip” that is redefining China’s relationship with the Arab world. He also stressed that China and Arab countries will not interfere in internal affairs.
Beijing sees Riyadh “as an important force in a multipolar world”. That was definitely a dig at the USA. Joe Biden also used his state visit to Riyadh to remind Saudi Arabia of respecting human rights.
More: What a US break with the Saudis could mean for the world