China has aligned its cooperation model with Saudi Arabia’s own priorities, most notably since the kingdom unveiled its Vision 2030. Although China announced the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the big push in relations happened only after the ascendance of King Salman to the throne in 2015 and Riyadh’s push for Beijing to meet Saudi needs.
Riyadh is at a crossroads, grappling with domestic pressures, regional ambitions, and global geopolitical trends.
Riyadh’s fence-sitting strategy reflects its desire to keep all doors open. Others may follow its lead.
To compete with China, the United States must walk a tightrope in the Gulf.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are both autocratic energy titans, collectively controlling nearly a third of the world’s oil reserves and a fifth of its natural gas. Yet they are led by starkly different men with profoundly different plans.
