Chinese and Saudi military officials agreed during a video call on Thursday to boost ties, a move that risks angering the Biden administration, The South China Morning Post reported.
Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe spoke with Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi deputy defense minister, and said the two countries should “strengthen coordination and jointly oppose hegemonic and bullying practices,” a clear reference to the US.
Wei said the Chinese military wants to “maintain strategic communication and push forward practical cooperation” with the Saudis. Khalid agreed that Saudi Arabia and China should strengthen ties and urged cooperation “to enhance military ties to a higher level.”
The call came as the US has been warning its Middle East allies against close cooperation with Beijing. Brett McGurk, the top Middle East official on the National Security Council, said Thursday that military or technical cooperation with China would impact US partnerships in the Middle East.
“We have had a very close dialogue with friends across the region about certain activities that would jeopardize the level of American cooperation,” McGurk said. “We have had a very good dialogue, and a bit of an awakening I think from some of our partners in the Middle East region about this issue.”
The US is still by far the largest weapons supplier for Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh wouldn’t be able to continue the brutal war in Yemen without Washington’s support. But China has increased arms sales to the Saudis in recent years.
According to the Post, Chinese arms sales to Riyadh increased by 400 percent from 2016 to 2020, compared with the previous five years. In December, CNN reported that US intelligence officials concluded that China is helping Saudi Arabia build ballistic missiles.
Very weird.
“Brett McGurk, the top Middle East official on the National Security Council,” A real friend for peace.
now uncle sam has a competitor for his arms sales to the saudi
ugh.
“We are committed fundamentally to helping Saudi Arabia defend its sovereign territory and its sovereign space. The defense of Saudi Arabia is a fundamental very important interest of ours, [and] something we’re working on every day,” said McGurk
Unless of course they make nice with China. Then, not so much.
Saudi Arabia may be one of the few countries the US trusts to trade with China. More importantly, China’s association with the KSA prevents China from getting too friendly with Yemen.
The US still needs Saudi dollar recycling; the KSA can’t do that without an economy moving beyond its dwindling oil reserves.
The Chinese can build Belt and Road infrastructure, and support other Saudi modernization efforts. However, the KSA will remain dependent on the USA for ‘defense’.
“However, the KSA will remain dependent on the USA for ‘defense’.”
And if that is the case then I would agree with the rest of what you say. Fuck with our weapons sales and then the “not so much” is accurate.
As a person of peace, it warms my heart to see a healthy competition between China and the US and with such a worthy cause, arming other countries, in a friendly competition… Perhaps China will learn something about the good old capitalist way of dispersing military arms to our friends… But really, just thinking about the US and China both arming Saudi Arabia, as we can see, it is something they can both do together, in the spirit of co-operation. (!) Ah, it is a new day! NOT.
Donna
China also risks alienating Yemen by cozying up to the KSA.
The US is probably encouraging KSA-China ties, to keep China out of Yemen.