As the U.S. position in the Middle East has become more and more controversial, so has the U.S. position in the Middle East. In stark contrast, China's focus in the Middle East has also increased in recent years. Recently, Saudi Arabia sent a delegation to China to send big gifts, which made the United States quite angry. China's influence in the Middle East is gradually increasing, which is conducive to China playing a greater role in regional affairs and contributing to regional peace and development.
According to the Hong Kong media "South China Morning Post" reported on the 15th, a Saudi Arabian delegation is on a seven-day visit to major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen to promote its ambitious mega-city construction project "New Future City" (NEOM) and seek potential partners. #沙特新未来城项目#
According to reports, the "New Future City" project is an important plan launched by Saudi Arabia to achieve economic diversification and sustainable development goals, aiming to build a future city integrating technology, industry, culture and entertainment. The total investment of the project is expected to reach 100 billion US dollars, and it will become a new economic growth pole for Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East region.
As we all know, Saudi Arabia has long been an ally of the United States in the Middle East and is one of the fulcrums for the United States to maintain its influence in the Middle East. However, in recent years, Saudi Arabia has become more and more disappointed with the United States because of what the United States has done, and as a result, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States has become more and more salty.
In the early years, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States in the oil field was still complementary, and a large amount of oil produced by Saudi Arabia was digested by the United States. However, in recent years, the United States has begun to have a surplus of its own oil, especially the success of the United States in shale oil development, which has led to an oversupply in the oil market, and oil prices have fallen, which has seriously affected the economic interests of Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries.
In addition, the US policy on the Syrian and Iranian nuclear issues has also disappointed Saudi Arabia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has proposed Vision 2030 in an attempt to diversify the Saudi economy, reduce dependence on oil, and strengthen cooperation with Asian countries to reduce influence on the United States.
These moves have alienated Saudi Arabia from the United States, and the geopolitical and economic interests of the two sides have become increasingly different. Although the United States has tried to improve its relations with Saudi Arabia through personal diplomacy, against the backdrop of the overall unfavorable US policy in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia's dissatisfaction with the United States is difficult to eliminate, and it is difficult for the relations between the two sides to return to the level of closeness they used to be.
In stark contrast, relations between Saudi Arabia and China are gradually warming. This has further improved Saudi Arabia's diplomatic space, especially under the mediation of China, the successful reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the old enemy, and greatly increased Saudi Arabia's trust in China.
As the world's second largest economy, China has strong infrastructure construction and scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and cooperation with Saudi Arabia will help achieve the goals of the "New Future City" project. More importantly, in the course of its dealings with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, China often shows the greatest sincerity, and China will not pay lip service to the truth, as the United States does, but sincerely help plan and take responsibility for implementation. Naturally, this makes the Saudis very comfortable to sell their "New Future City" plan to China. Because they believe that once the project is handed over to China, China will be able to help them make it a reality if they have enough money.
In addition, Saudi Arabia also hopes to use China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative to strengthen investment and trade cooperation with China. Previously, Saudi Arabia has joined the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperated in energy, infrastructure and other fields. The visit will further deepen cooperation between the two countries in various fields and promote the development of the China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership.
Strengthening cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China will not only help to cope with external uncertainties and achieve common development and prosperity. At the same time, China-Saudi Arabia cooperation will also have a positive impact on the regional and global political and economic landscape, and promote the process of peace and development.
Especially in the current chaotic and complicated situation in the Middle East, Israel is fighting in the Gaza Strip and has tense relations with Iran, while the United States, as the largest military presence in the Middle East, has been pulling sides, which makes Saudi Arabia quite chilling. Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia is aware of China's growing economic and military influence, and believes that China can play an active role in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia regards China as a strategic partner and expects it to be more active in Middle East affairs, balance the influence of the United States and Israel, and maintain regional stability. To this end, Saudi Arabia is willing to deepen cooperation with China, enhance relations, and jointly create peace and prosperity in the Middle East.
The Middle East is a vital energy supply and trading partner for China, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) offers new opportunities. As a result, China's interest in the Middle East has been increasing in recent years. China is committed to establishing friendly relations with Middle Eastern countries and promoting regional stability and development through political, economic and cultural cooperation. But there are many challenges, including geopolitical tensions and the threat of terrorism. China will strive to play a constructive role in regional issues and promote peace and development. These include speaking out for the suffering of the Palestinians on the Palestinian-Israeli issue and actively mediating reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In addition, for China, Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, are also an important blue ocean market for arms. At present, China is already one of the most important international arms trade countries in addition to the United States and Russia, and many Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, are quite favored by the UAVs developed and produced by China. In addition, Saudi Arabia is equipped with medium-range ballistic missiles provided by China, which greatly enhances Saudi Arabia's deterrence capabilities. In the future, it is believed that more and more countries will be interested in the weapons systems developed by China.