JAKARTA - China's relations with Saudi Arabia and other regional countries may continue to develop, said Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
"China is an important partner for the kingdom and most of the countries in the region," Prince Faisal said at a news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a two-day visit to the country, which includes attending the Summit of the Council on Cooperation of Nations. Gulf (GCC), cited from The National News, June 9.
"The partnership has brought us and China significant benefits and the cooperation is likely to grow only because of China's economic impact in the region," he continued.
Prince Faisal further explained that Riyadh values its relations with China and the US, saying relations with Washington remain strong and firm, especially in areas such as defense cooperation.
China is Saudi Arabia's biggest trading partner and has recently played a key role in helping the kingdom and Iran mend their fractured relationship.
#Riyadh | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan receives #US Secretary of State @SecBlinken, on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. 🇸🇦🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/az09U5WbDQ
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) June 7, 2023
The Saudi foreign minister said he did not consider any "zero-sum game" in international relations.
"I think we are all capable of having a lot of partnerships and a lot of engagement, and the US is doing the same in a lot of ways," said Prince Faisal.
On that occasion, Foreign Minister Blinken said the US "did not ask anyone to choose between the United States and China".
"We are just trying to demonstrate the benefits of our partnership and the affirmative agenda that we are bringing," he said.
Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia have been strained under President Joe Biden's administration, with many analysts criticizing the US for turning its back on the Middle East.
"We've seen the Saudis move toward a closer relationship with China," Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia who served under President George W Bush, told The National.
"We've seen OPEC+ curtail production and we've seen what appears to be a feeling of discomfort from the Saudis with regards to relations with the United States," he continued.
Jordan said Memu Blinken's journey was a "reset" and an important step in "reaffirming the relationship".
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
