Gulf states cosy up to Beijing in hunt for new ally

China welcomes four Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait - all traditional US allies - to a four-day summit in Beijing.

US allies in the gulf states are turning to Xi Jinping for new security guarantees.

China welcomed four Gulf states, all traditional US allies, to a four-day summit in Beijing yesterday as they looked for new security guarantees in the face of uncertainty about Washington’s reliability in the region.

Officials in Beijing greeted the arrival of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait, along with Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council, with a fanfare of approval.

China is a big customer of oil from the Gulf, buying a sixth of the GCC’s total exports before the pandemic, and has wanted for years to use those purchases to build stronger diplomatic and security relationships.

Now the Gulf states, which have been under pressure to keep Beijing at bay because of their historic reliance on the US for military protection, are also keen to foster ties.

Saudi Arabia in particular is hoping China will intervene with Iran, its great regional rival. China and Iran have been drawn together in recent years by what they see as a common threat from the US. That would normally put China on the opposite diplomatic side from Riyadh, but the ruling Saudi royal family is feeling particularly nervous about the hostility expressed towards it by President Biden.

Far from supporting Saudi Arabia in its war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the US is restricting arms sales.

Other US allies in the region, such as the United Arab Emirates, have bought weapons, particularly attack drones, from China.

While it would be a shock if Beijing were to supplant the US dominance of Gulf arms imports, China’s published strategy towards the region includes a pledge to work towards closer military co-operation.

That includes supporting “the development of national defence and military forces of Arab states to maintain peace and security”, via “co-operation on weapons, equipment and various specialised technologies”.

The Global Times, a Communist Party-run newspaper in Beijing, said the visit could result in a free-trade agreement, on which negotiations began in 2004 but which have made little progress.

China is also keen to ensure its supplies of energy are stable at a time of uncertainty on world markets and with Kazakhstan, a big supplier, in turmoil. China has invested tens of billions of dollars in the country, primarily in the energy and mining sectors.

The Times