President Xi makes a strategic visit to Middle East
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To the casual observer President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran was surprising as it came at a time when the two countries are embroiled in a diplomatic row.
However the visit – which also included Egypt – makes perfect sense when you consider China’s overall international strategy.
The Middle East is a pivotal part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. It provides the geographical link between West and East, produces about 60 per cent of the world’s energy reserves and is in urgent need of infrastructure development, all of which are key priorities for Beijing.
Prior to the visit Xi described the Middle East as a “land of abundance” – a marked contrast to the general perception of the region as a place of wars and tumult – and he stressed that Chinese policy is about dialogue and development, as opposed to the use of force, as a solution to the Middle East’s problems.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Xi did not meet with the Crown Prince, only the elderly King, with whom he inspected a new oil refinery being jointly built by Saudi Aramco and China’s Sinopec. They agreed to elevate the relationship to a strategic partnership.
While the visit to Saudi Arabia was constructive, the visits to Egypt and Iran better reflected China’s aspirations for a greater role in the Middle East. The visit to Iran was the first by an international leader since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was officially implemented and a number of major deals were signed. As with Saudi Arabia, the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership and Xi said that China would support Iran’s membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, whose current members comprise China, Russia and four former Soviet states in Central Asia.
The two countries agreed to increase bilateral trade more than 10-fold to $600 billion in the next decade and signed 17 accords, including cooperation on nuclear energy and a revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route.
The highlight of Xi’s visit to Egypt was a trip to the Suez Canal accompanied by Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
The canal has been undergoing a massive development with the support of the Chinese and is not only a vital part of the Silk Road but it is considered to be Egypt’s economic salvation. Trade and industrial zones will be built along the canal, which President al-Sisi hopes will turn Egypt into the business hub of the region. In addition to inspecting the extensions to the Suez Canal the two leaders agreed to jointly implement the Belt and Road initiative.
Although the Middle East in recent times has been dominated by powerful Western countries, China was the major imperial power during the golden years of the ancient Silk Road. So the visit to the region was an important step as China seeks to once again be a major player on the global stage.
