HURRIYET DAILY NEWS - MARC 22, 2017
Beyond the $65 billion of economic deals signed between Riyadh and Beijing, last week’s visit by King Salman of Saudi Arabia to China confirmed the nascent strategic partnership developing between China and Saudi Arabia, as Beijing seeks to secure the commercial sea routes along China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR).
While
Turkey currently plays a marginal role in China’s MSR, the advance in
the Sino-Saudi strategic cooperation presents an opportunity for Ankara to open maritime security cooperation with Beijing.
Although
the first day of the Saudi monarch’s visit on March 16, 2017 grabbed
international headlines with the signing of a $65 billion Sino-Saudi
trade and investment package, the 20 plus agreements on oil investment
and energy largely follow the traditional transactional pattern of the
Sino-Saudi cooperation. In the security realm, the king’s visit was
truly noteworthy for consolidating the strategic partnership established
between China
and Saudi during President Xi Jinping’s January 2016 visit to Riyadh.
Three days prior to King Salman’s arrival in Beijing, China’s Foreign
Ministry declared, “We stand ready to take King Salman’s visit as an
opportunity to take China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic
partnership to a higher level.” King Salman reciprocated with his
declaration in Beijing that “Saudi Arabia is willing to work hard with China to promote global and regional peace, security, and prosperity.”
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