Arab World and China Cooperation and News.

[al-Hasani]

GCC and China sign deal to boost cooperation
​

Published: 15:28 January 17, 2014

Beijing: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China have agreed a plan to improve ties.

In a final statement at the conclusion of a one-day session of the Third GCC-China Strategic Dialogue, the two sides underlined their desire to continue coordination and cooperation with the aim of strengthening the Sino-GCC relationship.

They agreed to work towards a strategic partnership through solid dialogue and trust and signed the plan of action for the years 2014-17, which would boost the cooperation in the political, economic, trade, energy, environment protection, climate change, culture, education, health and sport fields.

The two sides agreed to establish a free trade zone that would benefit both sides and said that they looked forward to resuming negotiations on the issue.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

GCC and China sign deal to boost cooperation | GulfNews.com

China’s new Silk Road initiatives — a GCC perspective​

ABDEL AZIZ ALUWAISHEG

Published — Monday 3 February 2014

Last update 1 February 2014 9:39 pm

On Jan. 17, China’s President Xi Jining and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a visiting high-level delegation from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that China wanted to work with the GCC to promote the building of the new Silk Road economic belt across Asia and Europe. The Silk Road initiatives also included reviving the Maritime Silk Road to connect the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic, which are likely to meet in the Middle East, according to Chinese officials.
GCC countries have welcomed the Chinese initiatives and some of them have already announced that they would actively participate in the construction of the new Silk Road economic belt and the Maritime Silk Road.
The GCC enthusiasm for the Silk Road partnership with China fits in perfectly with the historical role the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf played in connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. Ancient Arabian merchants nearly monopolized that role for centuries, until European powers wrested it from them in the 16th century.
I noticed during my visits to Beijing with GCC delegations in November 2013 and January 2014 how much importance China is attaching to the new initiatives, which is being promoted with great fanfare at both the official and popular levels.
On Jan. 16, the day before the GCC meetings with Chinese officials, it was announced in Urumqi that the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region will build itself as the transport, financial and logistics center of the land-based Silk Road economic belt in 2014. Nur Bekri, the governor of Xinjiang, a region in northwest China with a Muslim majority, said that the region will keep opening up to Central Asia and Europe and grasp the opportunity to boost the Silk Road economic belt. “Silk Road Economic Belt” agreements were signed with 24 cities from eight countries along the Silk Road in November 2013 alone, to promote greater cooperation, development and prosperity among the countries.
By virtue of those agreements, Xinjiang will promote the establishment of a free trade zone with countries along the route and strengthen multilateral cooperation on agriculture, energy, tourism and culture. At the same time, Xinjiang will keep opening up to the domestic market, and prepare for the transfer of industries from the east region to the west, according to Bekri.
Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the idea of the Silk Rod economic belt in September 2013, during his visit to several Central Asian countries, counting on the cultural and commercial revival of the old Silk Road, which historically linked China with those countries as well with the Middle East and Europe, as a way of strengthening China’s political and economic ties with Central Asia.
Land included in the new Silk Road covers about twenty Asian and European countries with a population of three billion people and spread over an area of 50 million square kilometers rich in energy, mining, tourism, cultural and agricultural resources.
During the past decade, China has already changed its approach to Central Asia and the Gulf countries, giving them center stage after many years of neglect, mainly because of their energy and mineral resources. China’s new focus on Asia has led to cultivating good relations with the newly independent former Soviet republics that bordered its western province of Xinjiang, home to several Turkic groups such as the Uyghur, Uzbeks and Kazaks.
In the third quarter of 2013 alone, China announced investments totaling over $100 billion in Central Asian counties President Xi Jinping visited in September, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
According to Chinese and western press reports, the largest agreements were related to energy infrastructure projects. For example, China and Kazakhstan signed 22 agreements worth a combined total of $30 billion. They included a $5 billion deal for the China National Petroleum Corporation to acquire an 8 percent stake in the Kashagan Oil & Gas field.
In Uzbekistan, China signed 31 deals worth $15.5 billion. The two countries agreed to build another oil pipeline, taking the total to four. And China is already funding the construction of an Uzbek-Chinese cross-border railway line. China concluded $7.6 billion-worth of deals in Turkmenistan, including the construction of a new pipeline. In Kyrgyzstan China signed eight agreements worth $5 billion, the largest of which was a $1.4 billion loan to build a new gas pipeline, according to those reports.
China also signed 36 co-operation agreements with an aggregate value of $1.5 billion with Belarus. This included a soft loan from China’s state-owned development bank, Exim, to construct Belarus’s first nuclear power plant.
The initiatives could usher in a new economic and political alliance between China and the rest of Asia, including the Middle East. While many countries have welcomed the new initiatives, including GCC states, Turkey and the United States, China needs to do more to explain its vision about the nature of cooperation it seeks with its prospective partners in bringing the new Silk Road(s) to reality.
For one thing, China has been criticized over the past decade by some observers for the way it managed its extensive energy and infrastructure investments and soft loans in Africa (and elsewhere), accusing it of paying little heed to the needs of host countries. Nevertheless, by and large Africans still maintain a positive attitude toward China, compared to the way they still view the West. China still bills itself as a Third World country, championing the cause of developing countries. But rhetoric and solidarity are not enough to build effective Silk Road partnerships.
However, to maintain that goodwill that developing nations maintain toward China and to keep the positive spirit with which the new Silk Road initiatives has been received, the implementation of those initiatives have to be carried out in a new, more collaborative manner than the trend of Chinese companies has been in the past. GCC countries in particular would like to have a more active role in shaping that proposed partnership, rather than being mere recipients of Chinese investments and products.
The GCC-China Strategic Dialogue, which was launched in 2010, has developed the right tools and as such provides the right rubric under which to craft agreements regarding the new Silk Road, in both its land and maritime components.

China’s new Silk Road initiatives — a GCC perspective | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

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Great news. China is definitely looking for more cooperation with the Arab world and vice versa. Mutual trade with China is already very big when it comes to the GCC member states.

The volume of trade between KSA for instance and China was $73 billion in 2012.

Saudi-China trade surged to SR273.7 billion in 2012 | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

My younger brother is in China right now (Beijing) and he likes it a lot.

Trade with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE represents 70 per cent of all Sino-Arab trade.

China And GCC: Growing Ties » Gulf Business

I would like to see the data for 2013 when it comes to GCC-China relations.

Having very strong relations with China is vital. Time to restore the ancient Arab-Sino ties on all levels.

@Chinese-Dragon @ChineseTiger1986 @Wholegrain

@Hu Songshan how are you doing my brother? Long time no see.

 

[SALMAN F]

It's good move that GCC get closer to the EAST

 

[al-Hasani]

It's good move that GCC get closer to the EAST

Actually ties with the East have been strong always. Historically speaking. I mean the ties with South Asia (mainly Pakistan and India) and the Arabian Peninsula are 5000 years old.

Trade and cultural links between ancient India and ancient Arabia date back to third millennium BC.[1]Heptulla, Nejma. Indo-West Asian relations: the Nehru era. Allied Publishers, 1991.ISBN81-7023-340-2, 9788170233404

Africa as well but that is another discussion.

Thousands upon thousands of Arabs are doing business in China and other Asian states and about 15-20 million people are of Arab or partial ancestry in South East Asia alone. Millions in South Asia too.

In UAE there lives over 200.000 Chinese people. I have seen Arab-Chinese couples. Arabs have a tremendous respect for China and we see it as a model country on many fields. I personally really like China and I badly want to visit it. I think that we admire the work ethic especially but also the close family ties that we share with each other and many other things.

It is important to have a balanced foreign policy for any country that wants to have an ounce of influence.

 

[al-Hasani]

Saudi–Chinese trade increases by 14 percent
​

Asharq Al-Awsat
Wednesday, 20 Nov, 2013

Total trade valued at USD 73 billion, with 140 Chinese companies operating in Saudi Arabia

File photo of Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Li Chengwen, speaking during an event in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Chinese ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Li Chengwen, has confirmed that China is now Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner. The diplomat was invited to speak during an event hosted in the home of Saad Bin Abdullah Al-Ajlan, the chairman of the Al Ajlan Company, in Riyadh.

The event was a way of commemorating the bolstered business ties between the two global economic superpowers.

“Saudi–Sino relations are distinguished by qualitative development in varying industries at all levels. Saudi Arabia has been China’s largest trading partner in western Asia and Africa over the past ten years and it is the largest state oil exporter to China,” said Li.

Speaking to an audience that included many leading businessmen in the country, the ambassador added: “Sino–Saudi relations are historical. In addition, economic cooperation and trade exchange between the two states is witnessing its golden age through the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President Xi Jinping.”

Li highlighted the growth in trade between Beijing and Riyadh. He said that the rate of trade development rose by 14 percent over 2012, at a value of USD 73 billion, comfortably exceeding the trade volume target between the two states for 2015, set at USD 60 billion.

There are 140 Chinese companies operating in the Saudi Arabian market, Li said, the bulk of which are in the construction, telecommunications, infrastructure and petrochemicals industries. The total value of Chinese projects in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be in the region of USD 18 billion.

In light of these strengthening economic relations, Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Ajlan, head of the Al Ajlan Company in Saudi Arabia, shared his experiences with Asharq Al-Awsat of his dealings with Chinese business partners since 1979, prior to the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two states in 1990.

“At the start of my business life I imported goods from China and sold them in Saudi Arabia. Through these goods I was able to make good profits,” said Ajlan. He pointed to the diversity of trade and investment that has occurred between the two countries, and how China has become the largest trading partner for Saudi Arabia, globally.

Also among the attendees was engineer Abdullah Al-Mobty, the chairman of the board of the Council of Saudi Chambers. He addressed the size and growth of economic and trade relations. “Trade has risen between the two states from tens of millions of dollars to tens of billions of dollars,” he said.

China is currently the world’s second-largest economy, but is growing at the fastest rate, and is set to take pole position in the next few years. The manufacturing superpower relies heavily on natural resources. Therefore, China’s main interests are in the oil and gas sector, which are the primary sources of income for Gulf Cooperation Council states. As China aims to expand trade with the resource-rich countries, its trade with Saudi Arabia will act as the spearhead for future energy demands.

Mohamed Al-Ajlan, the vice-president of the Saudi–Chinese Business Council, told Asharq Al-Awsat that trade between China and Saudi Arabia is unlikely to suffer from the global economic downturn. He confirmed that China is among the largest consumers of natural resources, which is consistent with the views of global analysts.

Saudi–Chinese trade increases by 14 percent « ASHARQ AL-AWSAT

@Arabian Legend @JUBA @Bubblegum Crisis @BLACKEAGLE @Yzd Khalifa @Full Moon @burning_phoneix @Awadd etc.

 

[Pakistanisage]

This is a welcome change. China is a lot more reliable Partner than the West.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Having very strong relations with China is vital. Time to restore the ancient Arab-Sino ties on all levels.

Really fantastic news.

An interesting thing is that both China and Saudi (along with the GCC) are the main "trade surplus" nations in the world, and also amongst the world's largest creditor nations.

Compared to most other major countries (especially in the West) which are mainly trade deficit and debtor nations.

All this excess/surplus cash being earned in China and Saudi Arabia will be extremely useful in terms of investment in education and technology. I can see this partnership going a very long way.

Thousands upon thousands of Arabs are doing business in China and other Asian states and about 15-20 million people are of Arab or partial ancestry in South East Asia alone. Millions in South Asia too.

In UAE there lives over 200.000 Chinese people. I have seen Arab-Chinese couples. Arabs have a tremendous respect for China and we see it as a model country on many fields. I personally really like China and I badly want to visit it. I think that we admire the work ethic especially but also the close family ties that we share with each other and many other things.

It is important to have a balanced foreign policy for any country that wants to have an ounce of influence.

This is true, I went to an International school in Hong Kong, and one of my closest friends growing up was actually an Arab guy from Jordan.

He taught me how to play the guitar, and a few slang phrases in Arabic. I still remember both today.

 

[al-Hasani]

Really fantastic news.

An interesting thing is that both China and Saudi (along with the GCC) are the main "trade surplus" nations in the world, and also amongst the world's largest creditor nations.

Compared to most other major countries (especially in the West) which are mainly trade deficit and debtor nations.

All this excess/surplus cash being earned in China and Saudi Arabia will be extremely useful in terms of investment in education and technology. I can see this partnership going a very long way.



This is true, I went to an International school in Hong Kong, and one of my closest friends growing up was actually an Arab guy from Jordan.

He taught me how to play the guitar, and a few slang phrases in Arabic. I still remember both today.

That is indeed fantastic news.

Yes, that's another thing that ties our nations/regions together and is favorable in terms of trade.

Yes, let us hope that. Especially in terms of education, science and technology. Those are all 3 crucial and linked entities.

Let us also not forget that Han Chinese and Arabs are the two biggest ethnic groups in the world. So bound for cooperation in one way or another.

Haha, that's probably @BLACKEAGLE 's cousin.

 

[al-Hasani]

@Chinese-Dragon @ChineseTiger1986 @Wholegrain @Hu Songshan @Raphael

Chinese people never cease to amaze me.

Please watch the last video.



Whenever I will be back I will propagandize closer relations with China on all levels. They are already extremely close - China is the biggest trade partner of KSA but they can become even bigger.

We should also teach Chinese in the Arab world as the third language after English, at least in the GCC. I really hope that. Arabic is already a complicated language - one of the most complicated but so is Chinese. It must be obligatory from a young age as English is.

Arabic, English and Chinese should be the spoken languages in the GCC. Also 3 of the most spoken languages in the world. Chinese work ethic must also be adopted and taught in every school and institution from a young age.

Lastly I hope that we will soon see a joint venture/investment into a A-90 project between RSNF, PLANAF and the Pakistani Navy.

All of the Chinese users know very well that I have been a huge proponent of Chinese-Arab ties since the day I joined this forum and this will always be the case.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Let us also not forget that Han Chinese and Arabs are the two biggest ethnic groups in the world. So bound for cooperation in one way or another.

And we are also the two biggest trade surplus and creditor groups. (In fact I think Saudi Arabia alone had the largest trade surplus in the world last year, not even counting the rest of the GCC).

China has foreign exchange reserves of around $4 trillion, Saudi Aramco has estimated underground reserves of a shocking $10 trillion USD. That is more than 5 times the total GDP of Russia!

This is at a time when all the other major powers are reducing their spending, cutting their budgets for R&D, even cutting their military budgets due to lack of cash.

This is our time. Education, investment, research and development, science, all these things have HUGE multiplier effects for the rest of the economy, and even the rest of the world too.

Please watch the last video.

Whenever I will be back I will propagandize closer relations with China on all levels. They are already extremely close - China is the biggest trade partner of KSA but they can become even bigger.

We should also teach Chinese in the Arab world as the third language after English, at least in the GCC. I really hope that. Arabic is already a complicated language - one of the most complicated but so is Chinese. It must be obligatory from a young age as English is.

All of the Chinese users know very well that I have been a huge proponent of Chinese-Arab ties since the day I joined this forum and this will always be the case.

Great videos. I know some phrases in Arabic that my friend taught to me, though my accent probably is not the best. Though as I always say, it's the effort that counts.

I can speak Cantonese + Mandarin + English, I want to learn Arabic next. After that I will be able to communicate with pretty much 90% of the Earth's population. I'm not that great with languages unfortunately but I definitely want to make the effort, even if I can only partially communicate with it.

 

[al-Hasani]

And we are also the two biggest trade surplus and creditor groups. (In fact I think Saudi Arabia alone had the largest trade surplus in the world last year, not even counting the rest of the GCC).

China has foreign exchange reserves of around $4 trillion, Saudi Aramco has estimated underground reserves of a shocking $10 trillion USD. That is more than 5 times the total GDP of Russia!

This is at a time when all the other major powers are reducing their spending, cutting their budgets for R&D, even cutting their military budgets due to lack of cash.

This is our time. Education, investment, research and development, science, all these things have HUGE multiplier effects for the rest of the economy, and even the rest of the world too.



Great videos. I know some phrases in Arabic that my friend taught to me, though my accent probably is not the best. Though as I always say, it's the effort that counts.

I can speak Cantonese + Mandarin + English, I want to learn Arabic next. After that I will be able to communicate with pretty much 90% of the Earth's population. I'm not that great with languages unfortunately but I definitely want to make the effort, even if I can only partially communicate with it.

@Chinese-Dragon

Yes, that's very correct. You are spot on. KSA and the GCC should take notice of China and your work ethic and focus on sciences. That's the only way forward to establish a truly self-sufficient knowledge based society. That's what I admire about China. I mean the transformation that you have undergone in the last 3 decades.

I have tried learning Chinese as well. Mostly for fun since some of my good friends are Chinese. Then I dropped that idea after learning how difficult the language really is and that there is a lot of memorization involved. Not that I don't like that but it is very time consuming. Being a chemical engineering student and living abroad I don't have time for that but maybe in the summer where I plan a trip to China.
But knowing world languages and such widespread languages like Chinese, English and Arabic gives you a lot of advantages in terms of business etc. I wish I could learn Chinese and add that to my "language list".

That's good to hear.

Mate, you don't have the data for 2013 when it comes to the trade volume between China and KSA and that between China and the GCC? It would be very interesting. Maybe they will first publish it in 1-2 months time. Usually that is the case so this might explain it. Unless they have already posted the numbers but I might have missed them. Probably.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

@Chinese-Dragon @ChineseTiger1986 @Wholegrain @Hu Songshan @Raphael

Chinese people never cease to amaze me.

Please watch the last video.



Whenever I will be back I will propagandize closer relations with China on all levels. They are already extremely close - China is the biggest trade partner of KSA but they can become even bigger.

We should also teach Chinese in the Arab world as the third language after English, at least in the GCC. I really hope that. Arabic is already a complicated language - one of the most complicated but so is Chinese. It must be obligatory from a young age as English is.

Arabic, English and Chinese should be the spoken languages in the GCC. Also 3 of the most spoken languages in the world. Chinese work ethic must also be adopted and taught in every school and institution from a young age.

Lastly I hope that we will soon see a joint venture/investment into a A-90 project between RSNF, PLANAF and the Pakistani Navy.

All of the Chinese users know very well that I have been a huge proponent of Chinese-Arab ties since the day I joined this forum and this will always be the case.

Those anchors have all received the professional training from CCTV.

 

[al-Hasani]

Those anchors have all received the professional training from CCTV.

Chinese people never fail to amaze me. The male TV host and his Arabic accent is extremely good for a foreigner. The female TV host is very talented as well. I have no doubt that China has people that speak more or less every important language of the world in great numbers.

I was very impressed to see a whole Chinese channel in Arabic. I wish that we had a Chinese channel in the Arab world. UAE should definitely have one since there are 200.000 Chinese people living there.

CCTV.com Arabic_قناة العربية_ CCTV International
Very impressive.

We must incorporate Chinese as our second foreign language after English and make it obligatory in my opinion. I at least wished that I had the opportunity to learn it when I was younger.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Chinese people never fail to amaze me. The male TV host and his Arabic accent is extremely good for a foreigner. The female TV host is very talented as well. I have no doubt that China has people that speak more or less every important language of the world in great numbers.

I was very impressed to see a whole Chinese channel in Arabic. I wish that we had a Chinese channel in the Arab world. UAE should definitely have one since there are 200.000 Chinese people living there.

CCTV.com Arabic_قناة العربية_ CCTV International
Very impressive.

We must incorporate Chinese as our second foreign language after English and make it obligatory in my opinion. I at least wished that I had the opportunity to learn it when I was younger.

Chinese is really a language that needs to be learned when a person is young, that is the best time to learn it. I think it is the same with Arabic.

I have seen foreigners who can speak Chinese very well, usually because they started early.

Anyway, I think it really is optimal for a person to know Chinese, Arabic, and English. If you know all three, you can talk to pretty much anyone on Earth and communicate with them.

And I actually heard that in the US intelligence agencies, employees have a better chance of promotion if they can speak either Chinese or Arabic. They know that we will be their challengers very soon.

 

[al-Hasani]

Chinese is really a language that needs to be learned when a person is young, that is the best time to learn it. I think it is the same with Arabic.

I have seen foreigners who can speak Chinese very well, usually because they started early.

Anyway, I think it really is optimal for a person to know Chinese, Arabic, and English. If you know all three, you can talk to pretty much anyone on Earth and communicate with them.

And I actually heard that in the US intelligence agencies, employees have a better chance of promotion if they can speak either Chinese or Arabic. They know that we will be their challengers very soon.

That's correct. That's what my Chinese friends have been saying to me. You are right about Arabic. It is exactly the same. Both Arabic and Chinese are recognized as among the most difficult languages to learn among linguistics. I am usually quite good when it comes to languages and I like them as well but Chinese is another matter. I would need to live in China for 1-2 years and study Chinese weekly. I could probably pick up spoken Chinese pretty quickly though. I like the accent.

Yes, you are right. That's what I am saying. Arabic is a world language and in the top 5 of the most spoken languages. So is English and Chinese obviously. We already speak Arabic and learn English in school from a young age. If we added Chinese we would be really well off and it would cement our relationship with China for a very long time. With language comes interest in Chinese culture, history, cuisine, etc. Since we are located in one of the major crossroads of the world and always were next to Europe, Africa and Asia then we should embrace foreign cooperation like we always did.

Since the trade between the GCC/Arab world and China is very big and only growing as are relationships in general then this makes even more sense. Even without all this then China is already a superpower and will only grow stronger so Chinese should be taught widely. At least in our part of the world (Asia).

 

[al-Hasani]

Is Saudi Arabia heading East?​

Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi

Saturday, 15 February 2014

With major political changes sweeping the Middle East and the balance of power shifting, there has been a raging debate lately about Saudi-American differences, particularly the Kingdom’s dissatisfaction with the US administration’s position on sensitive issues that have far-reaching consequences for the region.

The planned visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to these shores at the end of March indicates that relations between the two countries need reinforcement.

Washington is clearly aware of Riyadh’s disappointment at America’s lack of interest and unclear vision in the Middle East. The pending issues, which show the divide in thinking between the countries, include the United States’ failure to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Puppy love

In addition, the new puppy love romance between Washington and Tehran raises important questions on the direction of America’s policy in the region.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal recently confirmed that strategic relations continue to exist between the two nations but admitted the existence of “natural” disagreements.

Exercising political realism, Riyadh is working to create a balance between the various powers in the region. An important aspect of this approach requires a readiness to face all scenarios.

In his book “Theory of International Politics,” the American politician and founder of the new realism theory, Kenneth Waltz, argues that countries should prepare themselves militarily, economically and politically for any eventuality in the world. They should never allow themselves to get into a position where they have to depend on the mercy of others.

Great significance

It is therefore of great significance that Saudi Arabia has shown a renewed interest in the Orient. Of particular importance are the planned visits of Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, to Pakistan, India and Japan later this month. The defense minister’s deputy, Prince Salman bin Sultan, had also visited Pakistan last week, demonstrating the importance of the region to Riyadh.

As a sovereign power, it is in Saudi Arabia’s interests to continually expand its strategic relations in the region and make decisions based on its national interests. This is what all great powers do, they sway with the world’s changing demands.

It is clear that recent changes in the oil business will have a say in future Saudi-American relations. The growing oil shale industry in the U.S. and the availability of neighboring importers means a new status quo in the oil markets. While analysts do not expect the U.S. to drift completely away from quality Saudi oil, this new reality means that Far Eastern countries are becoming Riyadh’s largest importers.

Ali al-Naimi, the oil minister, says that the assumption that the dependence of the U.S. on Saudi oil will end, is frivolous. The Saudi movement to the East is therefore a strategy based on its needs.

Acclaimed visit

When Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah toured countries in the Near East in an acclaimed visit in 2006, Saudi businesses made major investments, opening the door for strong economic relations.

Saudis want to ensure their ties with countries are based on mutually beneficial economic interests. This is why the crown prince is accompanied by a senior delegation of businessmen. Saudi Arabia seeks to build strategic relationships, not only short-term political deals.

Saudis also value the importance of cultural interaction. The country’s foreign scholarship program is a prime example. Tens of thousands of Saudis are now studying in Asia, demonstrating a shift in focus from the West to the East.

This move by the Saudi government is the right decision because it takes into account new realties on the ground and is the essence of political realism. In any case, warmer relations with nations in the East do not undermine its strategic relationships in the West, and with the U.S. in particular. It simply opens new horizons and options.

Policy decisions based on mutating interests and power shifts are inevitably successful. A smart and wise player is always ready for all eventualities, and has the appropriate cards ready at the right time.


This article was first published in Arab News on Feb. 12, 2014.

__________
Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi is currently the editor-in-chief of Arab News and Sayidaty. A prominent journalist who worked with Asharq al-Awsat in London and Arab News in KSA, Al-Harthi later moved on to establish Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper in KSA, in which he rose to the position of Editorial Manager. He was appointed editor-in-chief for Arajol magazine in 1997. He won the Gulf Excellence award in 1992.

Last Update: Saturday, 15 February 2014 KSA 08:17 - GMT 05:17

Is Saudi Arabia heading East? - Al Arabiya News

Many of us surely hope so. Especially when it comes to China obviously the future power of Asia and maybe even the world.

@Chinese-Dragon @ChineseTiger1986 @Wholegrain @Hu Songshan