Saudi Arabia, the Beijing-Riyadh axis is born
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Alaina
- . March 28, 2021
- . Update: March 27, 2021 9:03 pm
Beijing is trying to fend off a new wave of international sanctions on alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, with its foreign minister Wang Yi praising Saudi Arabia for supporting China’s policies towards Xinjiang.
On March 24, on his one-week tour of six countries in the Middle East, Wang said China would prioritize its relations with the Middle East in its quest for support and greater influence in the region. Wang will later visit Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain.His remarks arrived when China’s conflict with Western countries escalated after the European Union, the United States, Britain, and Canada made a rare and coordinated move on Monday to punish officials and entities. Chinese on Beijing’s repression of Muslim Uyghurs, reports SCMP.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud agreed to oppose any interference in the internal affairs of other countries and defend the interests of developing countries.Wang said advancing ties with Saudi Arabia, a major strategic partner of China in the Middle East, is a priority for Chinese policies in the Middle East. “China supports Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty, national dignity, security and stability, and opposes interference in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs under any pretext,” the Chinese foreign minister stressed.
“Beijing strongly supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts to explore and find a development path that suits its conditions,” Wang added explaining that China is ready to better integrate development strategies between the two countries to help Saudi Arabia to achieve the goals of the 2030 vision. He also expressed China’s strong support for Saudi Arabia to play a greater role in the region, as he pledges to work with the Saudi side to promote peace, stability, and development in the Middle East.
China appreciates Saudi Arabia’s firm support on issues related to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The diplomatic also stressed the need for the two countries to strengthen unity and coordination to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at the center and the global order based on international law, oppose any interference in the internal affairs of other countries, reject unilateral bullying, and defend the common interests of developing countries.
The Chinese diplomat said the two sides can fully implement the role of the China-Saudi Arabia high-level joint committee, which should take the lead in strengthening bilateral cooperation in traditional sectors, such as trade, investment, and infrastructure. As well as emerging fields, including artificial intelligence, 5G, big data, and aerospace technologies.
The two nations should also intensify cooperation and exchanges in countering terrorism and eliminating extremism, according to Wang. Beijing is willing to work together with Saudi Arabia to accelerate free trade negotiations between China and the Gulf countries to reach an agreement quickly, Wang noted, adding that China and Saudi Arabia should do good together. preparations for the next China-Arabia summit and building a Sino-Arab community with a shared future.
Mohammed bin Salman, from his side, confirmed that China is a world power with significant influence, stressing its resurgence is inevitable. China’s rise bodes well for global peace, stability, and prosperity, as well as more balanced global development. Saudi Arabia, which attaches great importance to its global strategic partnership with Beijing, is willing to continuously improve bilateral cooperation in the oil, petrochemical, nuclear energy, and other energy fields, and expand it into new fields such as 5G, telecommunications, and digital technologies, the crown prince highlighted.
