China in the Arab World

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui

CHINA INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

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PRESIDENT XI JINPING AT THE FIRST CHINA-ARAB STATES SUMMIT

President Xi Jinping Attends the First China-Arab States Summit and Delivers a Keynote Speech, Underscoring the Importance of Carrying Forward the Spirit of China-Arab Friendship Featuring Solidarity and Mutual Assistance, Equality and Mutual Benefit, and Inclusiveness and Mutual Learning and Jointly Building a China-Arab Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. 2022-12-10 11:10 December 12, 2022… READ MORE

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In an op-ed published in Saudi media, Xi said he was on a “pioneering trip” to “open a new era of China’s relations with the Arab world, the Arab countries of the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia”.

China and Arab countries would “continue to hold high the banner of non-interference in internal affairs”, Xi added.

That sentiment was echoed by the crown prince, who said his country opposed any “interference in China’s internal affairs in the name of human rights”, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates have said that they would not choose sides between global powers and were diversifying partners to serve national economic and security interests.

On the business side, Xi, due to meet other Gulf oil producers and attend a wider gathering of Arab leaders on Friday, said China would work to make those summits “milestone events in the history of China-Arab relations”, and that Beijing sees Riyadh as “an important force in the multipolar world”. President Xi Jinping told Gulf Arab leaders on Friday that China would work to buy oil and gas in yuan. China as any other nation competing on world-scale level is seeking to protect its supply chain management in terms of energy and efficiency as well as protection of its interest. For such reason, President Xi has for long time requested from other nations that the transactions with China can be denominated and paid in Chinese Currency, the Yuan. The Russian oil is effectively sold to China through a financial resolution by China National Banks with the terms of exchange through the Yuan.

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At the same time, in response to the Western led sanctions imposed on Russian commercial operations, the authorities of Moscow request that all the payment on its export of natural gas and energy products to “unfriendly countries” must be conducted on Rubles. That’s a new directive from President Vladimir Putin as he attempts to leverage his country’s in-demand resources to counter a barrage of Western sanctions.

“I have decided to implement … a series of measures to switch payments — we’ll start with that — for our natural gas supplies to so-called unfriendly countries into Russian rubles,” Putin said in a televised government meeting, adding that trust in the dollar and euro had been “compromised” by the West’s seizure of Russian assets.

Russia★China & Europe★USA

• Russia’s US$140 billion of Chinese bond holdings are ‘major foreign assets’, could be used to skirt sanctions
• Bank of Russia could hold US$80 billion of yuan debt, while the National Wealth Fund is estimated to own US$60 billion, according to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group
• The total represents almost a quarter of foreign ownership in China’s domestic bond market, according to their estimates

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A memorandum with China’s Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL], on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities, was agreed despite U.S. unease with Gulf allies over a possible security risk in using the Chinese firm’s technology. Huawei has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite the U.S. concerns.

Saudi Arabia and China showcased deepening ties with a series of strategic deals on Thursday December 8, 2022 during a visit by President Xi Jinping, including one with tech giant Huawei, whose growing foray into the Gulf region has raised U.S. security concerns.

King Salman signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with Xi: Chinese and Saudi firms also signed 34 deals for investment in green energy, information technology, cloud services, transport, construction and other sectors, state news agency SPA reported. It gave no figures, but had earlier said the two countries would seal initial agreements worth $30 billion.

“TRUSTED PARTNER”

China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is a major trade partner of Gulf states and bilateral ties have expanded as the region pushes economic diversification, raising U.S. hackles about Chinese involvement in sensitive Gulf infrastructure.

U.S. Energy – Middle East Policy

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Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have defied US pressure to break with OPEC+ oil producer Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and curb ties with China as they try to navigate a polarized world order by taking into account the national economic and security interests. 🇧🇷

The Saudi oil giant is a major supplier to China, and the joint statement stressed the importance of global market stability and cooperation in the field of energy, while working to promote non-oil trade and increase cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear power.

The Saudi energy minister on Wednesday 7, 2022 said Riyadh would stay a “trusted and reliable” energy partner for Beijing and the two would boost cooperation in energy supply chains by setting up a regional centre in the kingdom for Chinese factories.

Both parties reaffirmed that they will continue to support each other’s fundamental interests.

Referring to Gulf security concerns about Iran, another major Chinese oil supplier with whom Beijing maintains good relations, they agreed on the need to “strengthen joint cooperation to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program” and the need to respect Tehran. Principles of good neighborliness.

Riyadh also expressed support for Beijing’s “one China” policy on the Taiwan issue. Saudi state television reported that Xi invited King Salman to visit China.

Before the summits, Xi held bilateral talks with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Sabah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iraqi Shiite Sudanese Prime Minister, Sudanese leader Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al- Burhan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, the Kings of Bahrain and Jordan, and the Presidents of Egypt, Tunisia, Djibouti, Somalia, and Mauritania are among the leaders present, along with leaders and prime ministers of Iraq, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan and Lebanon. 🇧🇷

Diplomats said the Chinese delegation will sign agreements and memorandums of understanding with several countries, in addition to Saudi Arabia, which has signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities. This move can be considered as another alternative to the sanctions implemented by the United States Government toward Huawei and the semiconductor industry in China. More on this can be read in the following article:

United States of America and China: High-Stakes Tech War Game

 October 10, 2022

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Analysts generally point to Made in China 2025, Beijing’s 10-year blueprint for transforming the country from a “manufacturing giant into a world manufacturing power”, as the trigger for the tech war – only it was a delayed reaction on the part of the US, which was preoccupied with the 2016 presidential election campaign when MIC 2025 was announced in 2015.

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