In facilitating Friday’s reconciliation negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which saw the two Middle Eastern nations reestablish diplomatic ties after years of antagonism, China is maintaining it had no hidden objectives.
China has no self-serving objectives in the Middle East, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of the nation claimed on Saturday.
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Although Gulf Arab states believe that the United States is limiting its role in the Middle East, Friday’s agreement to reestablish Iran-Saudi ties and reopen embassies after seven years was regarded as a significant diplomatic triumph for China.
China is regarded as a neutral party with close links to Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and both countries.
The remarks on Saturday were made after China hosted the hard-line president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, last month to strengthen ties between the two nations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Riyadh in December to meet with Gulf Arab countries that are vital to China’s energy sources since they are rich in oil.
A trilateral statement credited Xi, whose administration has recently warned of conflict and confrontation with the US, with arranging the Iran-Saudi discussions through a noble initiative and personally agreeing to sponsor the talks, which spanned from Monday through Friday.
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However, relations between the two Gulf nations broke down in 2016 after Saudi Arabia murdered a well-known Shia Muslim cleric. This led to protests in Iran, with demonstrators attacking Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran.
Yet, there has been a long history of geopolitical warfare between the two.
In numerous Middle Eastern conflict zones, both sides have taken sides and fought proxy battles.
Tehran supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen, where the war has been going on for well over eight years, while Riyadh is in charge of a military alliance that supports the government.
There have been discussions between the two sets of officials in Iraq and Oman since 2021, but no agreements were reached.
The mediated contract, according to Robert Mogielnicki, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf State Institute in Washington, DC, is that China is becoming more present in the region and is more interested in playing a role.
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