Saudi Arabia To Join China-Led Security Bloc, Strengthening Beijing Relations

• Saudi Arabia approves memorandum to join a China-led security bloc
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) includes several countries, notably Russia, India, and Pakistan
• The organization will have China's Zhang Ming as its secretary-general

Saudi Arabia is set to join a China-led security bloc that seeks to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Officials from the Middle Eastern country approved a memorandum that awarded Riyadh the status of dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

This organization is a political, security, and trade alliance that puts China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and four other central Asian nations as its members.

Saudi Arabia Joins China-Led Security Bloc

The announcement was made in a session presided over by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday. The China-led organization tallies four observer states, which includes Iran. It also has nine dialogue partners, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey.

China's Zhang Ming serves the organization's headquarters in Beijing as its secretary-general. As per CNBC, the Saudi Arabia government's decision to join the SCO underscores Riyadh's attempts to expand its interests further east.

It also comes when Beijing is trying to test its influence in the Middle East in a potential attack on US influence. In early March, the Chinese government brokered a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran; two nations considered long-time Mideast rivals. The agreement sought to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each other's territories.

In Europe, China is planning out even more ambitiously but has yet to achieve much less after submitting a 12-point plan to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia's interests have long been connected with those of the countries that have become members of the SCO, specifically China and Russia. Beijing is considered Riyadh's largest trading partner globally, having a bilateral trade worth up to $87.3 billion in 2021.

Iran and Saudi Arabia's Conflict History

According to Fox News, the move also comes as Saudi Arabia's kingdom and other Persian Gulf states have started to grow wary over the US being lost as its historical security guarantor and have started to look and diversify their partners.

China also said it had no ulterior motives in brokering the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A spokesperson from the kingdom's foreign ministry noted that Beijing "pursues no selfish interest whatsoever in the Middle East after the deal."

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran has led to a series of proxy wars in the region, including the conflict in Yemen. Tehran has also denied supporting the Houthis rebels, responsible for controlling vast areas of the impoverished country in late 2014. The group has been pushing out the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led military alliance intervened and supported Hadi, but the Houthis still have control of the country, including the capital Sanaa. In a statement, Riyadh said that while it previously engaged in rounds of bilateral talks with Tehran, Chinese President Xi Jinping jump-started the reconciliation process, said Aljazeera.

Tags

Saudi Arabia, Beijing