bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kristin Huang

The dispute between Gulf nations and Qatar has put China in something of a diplomatic bind.
Among the countries cutting off ties with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorist groups is Saudi Arabia, one of China’s main energy suppliers.
Any moves seen as siding with Qatar by Beijing may damage China’s ties with the Saudis.
Here are some of the key areas which make Saudi Arabia one of China’s key allies in the Middle East.
Trade and investment
China and Saudi Arabia signed US$65 billion worth of deals during Saudi King Salman’s visit to Beijing in March.
The deals come as China is trying to expand its influence in the Middle East and is seeking Riyadh’s support for its “One Belt, One Road” trade initiative.
Why Qatar matters to China, in spite of Gulf isolation
Saudi Arabian exports to China totalled US$5.61 billion in 2015, while its imports were valued at US$23.97 billion. Total trade between the two nations topped US$42 billion last year.
The foundation for China-Saudi cooperation is energy. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and China the world’s largest oil importer. 
China is Saudi Arabia’s biggest trade partner in the region and largest oil customer.
China imported 3.9 million tonness of liquefied natural gas from Saudi Arabia in April, compared with 2.6 million tonnes from Iran and 134.612 tonnes from Qatar.
After claiming the throne in 2005, the former Saudi King Abdullah adopted for a pro-Asian, “look east” trade policy, with more than half of the nation’s oil going to Asia.
Military relations
Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and China were not formally established until the 1990s, but defence ties go back before then. After the United States refused to sell Saudi Arabia long-range fuel tanks for F-15 fighters, the Middle Eastern nation arranged a deal with China in 1988 to get nuclear-payload capable missiles.
Arab states’ rift with Qatar clouds China’s plans for Gulf free-trade deal
Saudi Arabia’s ruling monarch King Salman met Meng Jianzhu, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Riyadh in November last year. The Saudi government unveiled a five-year plan for Saudi Arabia-China security cooperation during Meng’s visit.
This plan includes counterterrorism cooperation and joint military drills, cementing Saudi Arabia’s status as an important Chinese ally in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia views China as a potentially important supplier of missiles and weapons technologies.

Nuclear cooperation
China and Saudi Arabia signed a deal to increase nuclear cooperation in 2012.
The agreement was signed at the end of former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s first trip to Saudi Arabia as part of a six-day tour to the Middle East.
Plans disrupted for 52 Hong Kong travellers due to rift between Qatar and Gulf neighbours
A royal decree in 2010 identified nuclear power as essential to help meet growing energy demands for electricity generation and water desalination in Saudi Arabia, while reducing reliance on depleting hydrocarbon resources.
Educational and cultural exchanges
The relationship between the two countries has developed beyond diplomatic, economic and political affairs to culture and education.
More than 1,100 Saudi students are enrolled at universities in China and the number is expected to increase. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is also encouraging students to study at Saudi universities.


Kuwait announces its seventh government in three years of political crisis

UAE leader makes surprise visit to Qatar after years-long four-nation boycott of Doha

Qatar is the key player in post-US Afghanistan. Can it be a bridge from the Taliban to the world?

Netherlands players aim human rights protest at Qatar ahead of football World Cup qualifier

Qatar diplomatic crisis

Which side will China pick in Gulf row? Qatar matters, but so does Saudi Arabia

China’s President Xi Jinping (right) Pictured with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman during his visit to Beijing in March. Photo: Kyodo

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY CELINE SERRAT (FILES) This file photo taken on December 27, 2004 shows a general view of Ras Tannura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's eastern province. Saudi Arabia, the second largest oil producer, has a lot to lose in the energy transition that must drive the future Paris agreement on climate, and finds himself accused of wanting to limit its scope to delay the twilight of black gold. / AFP / BILAL QABALAN

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. More than 2 million Muslims have begun the first rites of the annual hajj pilgrimage, which draws people from around the world to Mecca and areas around it to perform a series of rituals and prayers aimed at ultimately erasing past sins. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

News

China

Diplomacy