Rivals US, Iran irked by China’s “Aggressive Maneuvers” in MidEast
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Salma Hossein
- . December 26, 2022
- . Update: December 26, 2022 6:33 pm
Apart from the bilateral summit, President Xi also participated in two other regional summits: one with 21 Arab leaders and another with seven Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders.
The basic strategic interests of Saudi Arabia and China will be preserved by the nearly thirty energy and investment accords signed during Xi’s visit.
They include cutting-edge fields like information technology, green energy, cloud services, infrastructure, and health and increase alignment between Riyadh’s economic diversification pivot (known as Vision 2030) and China’s Belt and Road Initiative-driven growth of smart industries and high-quality infrastructure, including digital infrastructure, which has the potential to support regional connectivity in the coming decades.
The “three-in-one” gave the impression that Saudi Arabia is the focal point of Chinese diplomacy in the Arab world.
Read | Saudi Arabia and Bahrain began the bilateral naval exercise
But what is easily foreseen is how these productive conversations will affect Iran, a player who is as significant in the Gulf region.
It is significant that China strongly supports Saudi Arabia’s position on Yemen, highlighting the need of backing the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council.
Yemen is important to Iran. Iran is accused of spreading terrorism to some nations, including Yemen, according to President Biden. The mention of three minor islands in the Gulf, although being in Iranian control, has sparked resentment and anger in Iran’s political circles.
According to Nasser Kanaani, the foreign ministry’s spokesman, Iran expressed its “deep displeasure” with the joint statement that China and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council released (GCC).
According to Al Alam, the joint statement released during the GCC-China conference in Saudi Arabia prompted a summons to the Iranian foreign ministry for Chang Hua, the Chinese ambassador to Iran.
The Iranian side expressed great displeasure with the GCC-China statement’s mention of Iran’s territorial integrity, Kanaani said during the discussion with the Chinese envoy. It was highlighted that the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf are an essential component of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territorial integrity, which, like any other portion of Iran, has never been and will never be the subject of discussions with any country.
When we consider the Gulf region’s strategic importance, it is risky to dismiss or undervalue the influence of Sino-Saudi goodwill on regional affairs. Iran has historical ties to Yemen, right or wrong.
Iran questions the timing of the joint statement as well. Because of divergent energy policies, Iran and the US currently have poor ties. Due to the hijab enforcement policy for Iranian women, there is a movement against the regime in Iran.
The use of force by Iran to put down the public uprising has been condemned by the international world. These distractions seem to have made Tehran less willing to confront the GCC as fiercely as it once was, at least for the time being.
