Önder Özar Diplomasi Sevgisi: China's embrace of Saudi Arabia leaves Iran out in the cold Beijing ditches neutrality at opportunity to fill gap left by U.S.

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

China's embrace of Saudi Arabia leaves Iran out in the cold

Beijing ditches neutrality at opportunity to fill gap left by U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 8. © Reuters

TALA TASLIMI, Nikkei staff writer

December 13, 2022 18:19 JST

TEHRAN -- Fears are mounting in Iran that China's rapidly warming relations with Saudi Arabia run counter to Beijing's long-standing pledge of neutrality. Under the banner of non-interference, China has never tried to play the role of a mediator between Iran and rivals in the Middle East. But the joint statements released during President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Saudi Arabia have left policymakers in Tehran wondering if there is a change of direction in China's policies toward the region, especially in the wake of a reduced U.S. presence there.

A joint statement released Friday after the meeting of China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations referred to Iran as a supporter of regional terrorist groups and a proliferator of ballistic missiles and drones. It also noted the importance of addressing "the Iranian nuclear file and destabilizing regional activities."

The inclusion of destabilizing activities has shocked Iranian officials, who have long held that the nuclear negotiations should be solely about its nuclear program.

Furthermore, the joint statement raises the issue of three islands located in the Strait of Hormuz -- Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa -- which are administered by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates. The statement said: "The leaders affirmed their support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates, to reach a peaceful solution."

The statement caught Iranian officials by surprise. Previously, when Iran requested China to take its side in nuclear talks and work with the E3 countries -- the U.K., Germany and France -- to save the deal, Beijing's response was that it would not interfere and that its views on the region were primarily economic.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian tweeted a response, noting that the three islands are "inseparable parts of the pure land of Iran and belong to this motherland forever. In the necessity of respecting the territorial integrity of Iran, we have no complacency with any side."

Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy director of political affairs at the office of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, shot back at the categorization of Tehran as a supporter of terrorist groups, tweeting: "Chinese colleagues should remember that when Saudi Arabia and America supported ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorist groups in Syria and destroyed Yemen with brutal military aggression, it was Iran that fought the terrorists to establish stability and security in the region."

Yet, as much as Iran is disappointed with Xi's Saudi visit, it cannot risk taking a tougher stance and damaging relations with Beijing.

"China is not the same with a country like Germany for us. We can summon Germany's ambassador, but not China's," said an Iranian official on the condition of anonymity. "We still consider them as friends and we need them to continue buying oil from us and invest in our oil infrastructure."

Yet, Tehran was so upset that on Saturday it did call in China's ambassador to discuss the controversial joint statement. The exchange was described by the Iranian Foreign Ministry as a "meeting" and not a summoning.

Xi's Dec. 7-10 visit to Saudi Arabia came shortly after he won a third term as China's top leader at the Chinese Communist Party's national congress in late October and represents one of the first overseas trips for the leader after an over two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

It also comes amid a widening rift between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia over human rights issues and Riyadh's refusal to comply with U.S. President Joe Biden's request to keep oil prices low.

Beijing sees a golden opportunity to establish a foothold in the Middle East and to counter Washington's efforts to shift assets to the Indo-Pacific region.

Matthew Bryza, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, told Nikkei Asia that China is "sending signals to all of us that China has much broader economic and strategic interests than we always assumed."

The Iranians understand that they may be collateral damage in this geopolitical game.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and China is its top customer. At the China-GCC summit, Xi said that the two sides have a high degree of complementarity. "China has a vast consumer market and a complete industrial system, while the GCC, with rich energy and resources, is embracing diversified economic development." This makes the two sides natural partners of cooperation, the Chinese leader said.

During his stay in Saudi Arabia, Xi held bilateral meetings with nearly 20 Arab leaders, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, deeming Xi's trip as China's largest and highest-level diplomatic action with the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

At the China-GCC summit, Xi was joined by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani -- who left the World Cup in Doha to attend -- and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah of Bahrain. Also participating were the crown prince of Kuwait, the deputy prime minister of Oman and the ruler of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

Riyadh's grandiose reception of Xi began the moment the Chinese leader's airplane entered Saudi airspace, with four fighter jets from Saudi Arabia's Air Force escorting the plane. These were joined by six other planes that formed red and yellow contrails in a show of respect for the Chinese flag.

Xi's car was greeted with a horseback parade at the Al Yamamah Royal Palace, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman awaited.

The crown prince and Xi signed various agreements including a plan to harmonize China's Belt and Road Initiative with the kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to reduce Riyadh's dependence on oil. Memorandums of understanding were also signed on hydrogen energy, solar power, direct investments and housing.

Bryza, the former U.S. official, said that while China will not supplant the U.S. as the key security provider in the Middle East, "Geostrategically the U.S. wants to make sure that China is not making inroads that will lead to destabilization and pushing out the U.S."

Mohammed bin Salman is "playing multi-dimensional games," Bryza said, "pursuing viable economic and strategic relationship with world's largest country. It is understandable."

While Iran understands the backdrop of the visit, its policymakers fear that the shift comes at its expense. Xi's endorsement of the China-GCC joint statement -- with elements directly targeting Iran -- is seen as proof of this and has shocked Tehran.

Iran still counts on Chinese investment and on the country buying oil on the black market, albeit at a significant discount.

Despite the discount, "Our sales are good," the Iranian official said. "China, just like Russia, has invested big money in our oil and gas industry. Russians have pledged to invest $40 billion and the Chinese are going to make a similar investment pledge within the next two months," the official said.

Additional reporting by Nesreen Bakheit in Riyadh and Sinan Tavsan in Istanbul.

Önder Özar Diplomasi Sevgisi

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

China's embrace of Saudi Arabia leaves Iran out in the cold Beijing ditches neutrality at opportunity to fill gap left by U.S.

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