Tensions in the U.S.-Saudi alliance have China poised to expand its defense ties with Riyadh.
By Samuel Ramani
THE DIPLOMAT - November 16, 2016
On November 7, 2016, Saudi Arabia’s ruling monarch King Salman bin
Abdulaziz met with Meng Jianzhu, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi
Jinping, in Riyadh. After a series of talk between Chinese officials
and senior members of the Saudi royal family, the Saudi government
unveiled a five-year plan for Saudi Arabia-China security cooperation
during Meng’s visit. This plan would include counterterrorism
cooperation and joint military drills, cementing Saudi Arabia’s status
as a vital Chinese ally in the Middle East.
Even though China has emerged as Saudi Arabia’s leading economic
partner in recent years, the transition toward a full-fledged defensive
partnership is a new, largely unforeseen development. In contrast to the
multibillion dollar annual arms contracts binding Saudi Arabia to the
United States, China only sold $700 million
in arms to Riyadh from 2008-2011. Low levels of Riyadh-Beijing security
cooperation were attributed to China’s long-standing friendship with
Iran, disagreements over Bashar al-Assad’s future in Syria and
long-standing Chinese disdain for Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship of Islamist
networks.
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