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"Arab countries are no longer just siding around the United States, but are adjusting their foreign policies according to the situation and developing diversified diplomatic relations. ”
After more than half a year, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran have reunited in Beijing.
On December 15, the first vice-ministerial meeting of the China-Saudi-Iranian Trilateral Joint Commission was held in Beijing.
The meeting reviewed the positive progress made in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations since the conclusion of the Beijing Agreement, stressed that the Beijing Agreement will be fully implemented, and the Chinese side expressed its willingness to continue to play a constructive role and support Saudi Arabia and Iran in improving relations.
On the same day, when Wang Yi met with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Al-Khuraj and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Al-Bagheri, he put forward three suggestions on continuing to promote the improvement of Saudi-Iranian relations, unswervingly adhering to the strategic choice of reconciliation, further advancing the process of improving relations, and eliminating external interference.
The three sides also discussed trilateral cooperation in various fields and expounded their common positions on Palestine and other regional hotspot issues.
The warming of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has pushed the tide of easing in Middle Eastern countries
It is worth noting that this meeting is the third high-level meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing.
On March 10, under the active mediation of China, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran issued a trilateral joint statement in Beijing, announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran had reached a bilateral agreement, including agreeing to restore diplomatic relations between the two sides. At the meeting, the three parties referred to the agreement reached on March 10 as the Beijing Agreement.
On April 6, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal and Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian signed a joint statement in Beijing, announcing the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.
It is worth mentioning that the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has also contributed to the détente in relations between Arab countries. In May, for example, Saudi Arabia and other Arab League members admitted Syria to a new membership, reinstating its membership that had been suspended more than a decade ago.
Just last month, Iranian President Raisi arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend a joint extraordinary summit of Arab-Islamic leaders on the situation in Gaza in Riyadh. This is the first visit by an Iranian president to Saudi Arabia since 2012. On the sidelines of the summit, Raisi also held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during which the two sides discussed issues such as advancing bilateral relations.
"These intensive reconciliation processes can be described as the 'peace dividend' brought about by the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that this has further promoted the cooling and stability of the situation in the Middle East and created a favorable environment for resolving regional hotspot issues through dialogue and cooperation.
Niu Xinchun pointed out that the three high-level meetings of Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing not only reflect that both countries regard China as a trustworthy third party, but also reflect their high recognition of China's active "persuasion and promotion of peace talks" in the Middle East, and their expectation that China will play a more important role in promoting peace in the Middle East.
On December 18, when talking about the significance of the China-Saudi-Iranian trilateral meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the current situation in the Middle East is complex and severe. The more times like these, the more necessary it is to resolve contradictions and differences through dialogue, consultation, and political means. The fate of the Middle East should be in the hands of the people of the Middle East themselves.
Wang Wenbin stressed that China will, as always, support the people of the Middle East in independently exploring the path of development, support the solidarity and cooperation of Middle Eastern countries to solve regional security issues, and contribute China's wisdom and play a positive role in realizing peace and tranquility in the Middle East.
The new thinking in the Middle East will have a positive effect on the Palestinian-Israeli situation
The tide of détente in the Arab countries not only reflects the shift in their foreign policy from attaching importance to "fighting" to pursuing "peace," but also highlights the rise of their sense of national strategic autonomy and the increase in their diplomatic room for maneuver.
For example, at the BRICS Johannesburg Summit in August, four Middle Eastern countries, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, officially became members of the BRICS, and the Middle East region has further become an important strategic sector of the Global South.
In addition, the United States, Britain and other countries that are engaged in an energy game with Russia have been urging Middle Eastern oil producers to increase production in order to lower oil prices, alleviate the increasingly serious energy crisis in the European region, and further pressure on sanctioned Russia. However, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries have not reacted very positively. Among them, Saudi Arabia even joined forces with Russia twice in October 2022 and April 2023 to significantly reduce the target crude oil production in order to push up international oil prices, so Washington once accused Saudi Arabia of being an "accomplice of Russia".
On the 6th of this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Saudi Arabia and received a high-level reception from Saudi Crown Prince Salman. In a subsequent joint statement, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in the field of oil and gas in the future, and also decided to strengthen cooperation in the field of defense.
In Niu Xinchun's view, before, the Middle East could be roughly divided into two camps: "pro-American" and "anti-American", and the choice of major countries was limited. "But now, some Arab countries no longer trust the U.S. security promises and are eager to take their destiny into their own hands. ”
Niu Xinchun pointed out that Arab countries are no longer just taking sides around the United States, but are adjusting their foreign policies according to the situation, developing diversified diplomatic relations one after another, and seeking a new balance between the United States, the European Union, Russia, and China. For example, on the issue of oil prices, Arab countries have joined hands with Russia to balance the United States, and on economic issues, Arab countries have deepened cooperation with China in disregard of US opposition.
"In the face of a new round of conflict in Gaza, the new thinking of Middle Eastern countries is also playing a positive role. Niu Xinchun pointed out that it is precisely because the United States overwhelmingly supports Israel and basically turns a blind eye to the pressure and proposals put forward by Arab countries, which has gradually widened the rift between Arab countries and the United States, and further promoted Arab countries to seek an independent foreign policy. For example, although Saudi Arabia and Iran still have contradictions over the Palestinian-Israeli issue, they do not want to see the war further escalate and threaten regional peace and stability, so both countries also demand an immediate ceasefire and end the fighting to avoid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. "These common interests are already sufficient to form the basis for frequent contacts between the leaders of the two countries. ”
Niu Xinchun said frankly that historical experience has proved that the biggest victims of turmoil in the Middle East are the countries in the region, not foreign powers. Therefore, countries in the region want to take the fate of regional security into their own hands, which may be the spiritual essence of the tide of détente in the Middle East.
(Take a look at the news Knews reporter Fang Feifei)