WASHINGTON (AP) – In just a few days, Saudi Arabia has struck a major deal with China and the United States, two of the world’s major powers.
Riyadh signed a China-brokered deal to restore diplomatic ties with its arch-enemy Iran, then announced a major deal to buy airliners from US manufacturer Boeing.
The White House has scoffed at the notion that the big plane deal marks a significant shift in the government’s relationship with Riyadh, which last year criticized production cuts.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that China is “dealing with tensions between the Gulf Arab states, which have been waging proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq for years.” We are working in the same vein,” he said.
“I think it’s a positive thing in terms of what the US is doing in the region — de-escalating tensions and helping de-escalate tensions,” Sullivan said. But personally, White House officials are skeptical of China’s ability and desire to play a role in resolving some of the region’s most thorny crises, including Yemen’s long and devastating proxy war.
The official added that the government would see it as a good thing if China could “play a reinforcing role” in ending hostilities in Yemen.However, White House and Saudi officials added Both remain deeply skeptical of Iran’s intentions in the Yemen war or, more broadly, of Iran’s intentions as a stabilizing force in the region.
So far, China, which has seats on the UN Security Council, has shown little interest in the Yemen conflict, Syria or the situation in Israel and Palestine, according to government officials. Yet this week, after Beijing accomplished a diplomatic coup with the Iran-Saudi deal, President Xi urged China to play a bigger role in managing world affairs. The Chinese government has shown modest interest in reviving the seven-party nuclear deal with Iran, according to government officials, and Donald Trump in the fall of 2018 after protests erupted in Iran after the 22-year-old. The president withdrew the United States. Mahsa Amini died in police custody after allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Indeed, China, a major buyer of Iranian and Saudi oil, has steadily increased its political clout in the region. had a meeting.
But Miles Yu, director of the Hudson Institute’s China Center, said Xi’s call to become a more active player on the international stage would require a dramatic change in approach from Beijing. said he would. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and frequent Saudi critic, said every step China takes to dig deeper into the Middle East doesn’t necessarily hurt the United States.
Saudi Arabia’s reliance on U.S.-made weapons systems and the U.S. military and commercial presence in the Kingdom (which is home to some 70,000 Americans) are in a longstanding relationship that has weathered difficult times. Former President of Raytheon Arabian Systems Co., who has lived in the Kingdom for many years.
“Given our reliance on U.S. weapons, U.S. technology, U.S. training, and everything that goes along with it, mining would require an incredible amount of activity,” Janka said.
