Opinion

Iran-Saudi accord shows China’s growing Middle East influence via diplomacy, trade and security

China has slowly increased its presence in the region in the past two decades through rising trade, foreign aid, infrastructure projects and more

The Iran-Saudi peace deal builds more credibility in the Middle East for China and will aid its efforts to strengthen ties in the region

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Mohammed Sinan Siyech completed his doctoral degree from the Islamic and Middle East Studies Department at the University of Edinburgh and is a non-resident associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

Published: 1:00am, 14 Mar 2023

Saudi Arabia and Iran have announced they will re-establish full diplomatic relations and reopen embassies seven years after ties were severed. With China brokering the deal, after hosting and sponsoring the talks, it is pertinent to examine Beijing’s role in the breakthrough and what it says about China’s position in the Middle East.

While the Middle East has been roiled by conflicts and skirmishes, the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has been one of the overarching rivalries in the region, given their support for various groups opposed to each other.

Historically speaking, Iran and Saudi Arabia were allied until the Iranian revolution in 1979, when new ruler Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the teachings and experiences of the revolution to be exported to all Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia. Since then, relations have progressively deteriorated.