The Gulf monarchies

China’s “Belt and Road” Economic Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf: Strategic Hedging amidst Saudi–Iranian Regional Rivalry

“…These include tourism, student exchanges, and cultural cooperation within the BRI framework such as the people-to-people exchanges within the Saudi–Chinese Youth Forum (Chen and Han, 2019). Political and diplomatic relations intensified after 9/11, when both countries joined the US war on terror, and after the “Arab Spring” which both China and Saudi Arabia opposed on principle, with Saudi Arabia fearing instability in the Gulf and China fearing the rise of Muslim extremism in Xinjiang province (Fulton, 2019a: 141).…”

“…In 2015, there were 158 Chinese companies established in the Saudi market and about 20,000 Chinese expats living in Saudi Arabia (Olimat, 2016: 190). However, as Fulton (2019a: 154) points out, some of these expats working mainly in the north-west regions of Saudi Arabia bordering Iraq express concern about their safety.…”

“…However, China is not likely to surpass the United States as the main supplier of Saudi military equipment as the Sino–Saudi military cooperation still remains rather low as China is only the fifth largest supplier of military equipment to Saudi Arabia after the United States, Russia, Britain, and France (Wezeman, 2018). The military cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia was upgraded to a higher level in 2016 when Saudi Special Forces went for a two-week antiterrorism training in China as the first Arab country to participate in such training (Fulton, 2019a: 154). Military cooperation also includes Sino–Saudi joint combat against international terrorism, including the ETIM movement in Xinjiang, despite the fact that mistreatment of Muslims in China is frequently criticised by the Saudis.…”

“…China is currently Iran’s largest trading partner and approximately one-third of Iranian oil exports in 2017 went to China (Cheney, 2018). The relations between the countries were elevated to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016 (Fulton, 2019a: 146).…”

China’s Strategic Partnership with Kuwait: New Opportunities for the Belt and Road Initiative

“…These developments are creating new opportunities for the Middle East countries as they look to diversify their economies, increase trade, and seek investment opportunities in emerging markets; this includes schemes such as forging strategic partnerships with China to promote the new Silk Road vision and to incorporate it into their national development plan. All of this reflects a growing tendency among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which seek to benefit from the favorable business conditions in China, as well as the latter’s expertise and experience in its rapid path to economic development (Fulton, 2018a).…”