At present, through the CPEC, China has entered into a big battle with a large region of the world, including Central Asian states, by playing a positive role in various global conflicts, thus proving to be a major player in global politics. On December 7, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia for a three-day official visit, which received significant coverage in Arab media. On the other hand, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is eager to make Saudi Arabia an economic power and present a new face of the country to the world. Under the Vision 2030 plan, Saudi Arabia is focusing all attention on economic development by resolving all its conflicts. It is not difficult to establish relations with conflicting countries for the leader of this vision. Saudi Arabia is diversifying its economy through the Vision 2030 plan. The goal is to reduce dependence on oil and promote tourism. From 1945 to the present, Saudi Arabia has had close relations with the United States. America needed Gulf oil, and Saudi Arabia needed security. America bought oil from the Gulf and provided the Gulf countries with billions of dollars in weapons. It established its military bases in Dammam, Bahrain, and Qatar. Saudi Arabia ended its Western military presence in its country, but American bases are still present in Bahrain and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have had a new direction in their relationship, and Turkey has deposited $5 billion in the country. In response to this move, Turkey has tried to improve its relationship with the Arab world by attempting to create a parallel Islamic block to compete with the Arabs. On February 14, 2023, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi made an important visit to China during which many economic and political decisions were made. In this context, the end of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran is an important global development.
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran dates back hundreds of years, but the latest disruption in their relationship occurred in 2016 when their diplomatic relations were severed. However, under the Vision 2030 initiative, Prince Mohammed bin Salman initiated talks with Iran, and in 2021, after cooperation between Oman, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, five rounds of talks were held. Later, China played an important role in bringing the two countries closer.
The peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran will have positive effects on Pakistan. The longstanding coldness in relations between Iran and Pakistan will end, and there will be positive changes in Pakistan’s internal situation. The progress on a global level can benefit from this development. During the reigns of Shah Iran and Shah Faisal, there was friendship and cooperation between both countries. The quality of isolation emerged after the Iranian Revolution. The West (NATO) was threatened by Russia, but now China is emerging as a major challenge. America complains that Saudi Arabia is reducing its oil production, which is causing damage to America and its allied countries’ position in competition with Russia and China. Both countries, especially China, are strengthening their relations by providing opportunities to establish themselves in this region.
Saudi Arabia is the second largest producer of crude oil in the world, producing over 7 million barrels of crude oil per day. More than 73 million barrels of oil are produced daily. America imports almost 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Saudi Arabia. According to the wishes of all countries, China plays a constructive role in dealing with the world’s thorny issues. This progress is very good news for the troubled world at this time. Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said that relations with Saudi Arabia will be a source of strength and stability for both countries. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the improvement of relations with Saudi Arabia has created great opportunities for the region.
The resolution of Saudi-Iran relations will soon become the cause of an end to the ongoing wars and unrest in Yemen and Syria, as Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdullah described in his statement that this agreement will become a shining opportunity for prosperity in the Middle East. The expression of joy and satisfaction by the United States about the Saudi-Iran agreement is also notable. China has not established any military bases in the Middle East, while US military bases are still present in Bahrain, Qatar, and the Arab Emirates. China’s power lies in trade and technology. China buys a large amount of oil from Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Chinese trade with the Middle East has doubled in the past three years. Iran is a major buyer of Chinese goods. It is also promising that the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran will reduce political tensions in the entire region, and peace is possible in Yemen, with positive effects rippling throughout the region.
