Is the US row with Saudi Arabia driving Riyadh into the arms of China?

Analysts say Chinese weapons sales to the Middle East kingdom are on the rise, but will probably not include big ticket items for now

While some say Washington anger with Riyadh is behind the push, others say China’s cheaper, reliable arms would be attractive, regardless

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Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles on display at the Zhuhai air show. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00am, 8 Dec 2022

Saudi Arabia and China may be forging closer security ties in response to friction between Riyadh and Washington over energy prices and human rights issues, experts said.

The assessment follows unconfirmed reports by Chinese state media that Saudi Arabia bought US$4 billion worth of weapons from China, including drones, anti-ship missiles and anti-drone laser-based systems.

The reports said the order was placed after this year’s Zhuhai air show and included a large number of CH-4 drones, production line TB001 UAVs, YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles and the Silent Hunter anti-drone systems.

China-made CH-4 armed reconnaissance drones have been bought by Saudi Arabia before and were used in its conflict with Houthi militants in Yemen and other major battlefields. They have also been used by the PLA in its patrols near Taiwan.

Saudi Arabia is also capable of producing the Chinese drones, after Riyadh and Beijing reached an agreement in 2017 to set up a factory in the Middle East. Earlier this year, the two also agreed to jointly develop and build military drones.

Former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said the drone deals would not be surprising, given their capabilities had been demonstrated in major conflicts in the Middle East.

But he questioned the reported purchase of YJ-21 hypersonic missiles, pointing out that China is bound by the Missile Technology Control Regime, which bans exports of missiles with range over 300km (186 miles). The YJ-21’s range is believed to be over 1,000km (620 miles).