Saudi Arabia was also bitter after USA바카라s reaction to the Arab Spring, in which Washington pressured Egypt바카라s president at the time, Hosni Mubarak, to step down and encouraged democratic reforms elsewhere in the Middle East.
Chinese President Xi Jinping바카라s meeting with Saudi Arabia바카라s king and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has sent a signal to the West especially US, which Washington Post journalist David Ottaway wrote decades back: 바카라Saudi Arabia was not seeking divorce from the United States; it was just seeking marriage with other countries바카라.
Ottaway바카라s prophecy came true to Thursday, when Jinping and Salman met. It is clear that oil rich nation Saudi Arabia is trying to recalibrate its foreign policy as US is turning its attention elsewhere in the world.
There is a reason to why Saudi Arabia wants China on its side and vice versa . Foremost is Russia바카라s war on Ukraine and USA바카라s hard stance on Moscow.
While another reason behind giving grand welcome to Jinping is Prince Salman바카라s desire of bolstering his image in the Gulf region.
Salman has created a certain image for himself after after being linked to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudia Arabia while being aware of China바카라s oil purchases is conscious of the fact that the country바카라s construction expertise could be tapped. This is important for plans of Salman, who plans to build Neom city on Red Sea at a cost of 500 billion dollars.
China has already set its imprint in Saudi Arabia with its firms everywhere in the Gulf region.
Behind Saudi Arabia바카라s handshake with China lies long list of strains with US
It includes 9/11 terror attacks. It is said that 15 out of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. There are questions also how much Saudi Arabia had the information about it. There is also the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. The attack left Shia-dominated regime in Baghdad vulnerable to Iranian influence.
Saudi Arabia was also bitter after USA바카라s reaction to the Arab Spring, in which Washington pressured Egypt바카라s president at the time, Hosni Mubarak, to step down and encouraged democratic reforms elsewhere in the Middle East.
A monarch led nation Saudia Arabia viewed the move as a threat to and Royal Family viewed it as a potential threat to its own hold on power.
The shale revolution which made US, Saudi Arabia바카라s competitor also didn바카라t go well with the latter.
It was also former US President Barack Obama administration바카라s nuclear accord with Iran, whom Saudi Arabia considers its enemy.
In 2019, US weak reaction on Iran lead missile attacks on two key Saudi oil-producing facilities also made the matters worse.
Like Saudi Arabia, China바카라s Xi Jinping is also getting political cover for its world image
Saudi Arabia, which is home to the holiest sites in Islam, also has provided political cover to China over its harsh policies toward Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
The Uyghur community in China have been facing nightmares under Xi led communist regime. Saudi Royal Family hasn바카라t uttered a word on the atrocities committed against Uyghur Muslims.
Besides, Xi Jinping바카라s first trip post Covid-19 pandemic is a step towards restoring his country바카라s world image.
Recently, there have been widespread protests against harsh Covid-19 restrictions across China, which scenes of dissent are a rarity.