Saudi Arabia to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization as ‘dialogue partner’

Asia-Pacific, Middle East, News March 30, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved a memorandum to join China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a dialogue partner. The decision brings Beijing and Riyadh a step close to building stronger ties.

The SCO was originally formed in 2001 by Russia, China, and former Soviet nations Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with an aim to counter western influence in the region. The organization transformed itself into a political, security, and trade alliance with the inclusion of Pakistan and India in 2017. Iran also completed the necessary paperwork to join SCO as a permanent member last year.

It is mandatory for Saudi Arabia to become a dialogue partner in the organization before it can apply for full membership in the organization. SCO has several other dialogue partners including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Qatar, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Armenia, and Cambodia. Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia have observer status in the SCO.

Riyadh’s decision to become a dialogue partner with the SCO shows its tilt towards the easter bloc. The decision comes at a time when Beijing is spanning its wings in the Middle East, challenging the U.S.’s decade-old influence in the region.

Earlier this month, China brokered a deal between the long-time Mideast rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran that allows Tehran and Riyadh to reopen embassies in each other’s countries. The deal came in as a huge surprise for many western countries, as well as a course-changing event for the regional geopolitical landscape.

China is one of the world’s largest oil importers. Beijing’s improving relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran immensely improve China’s oil-importing capabilities resulting in a more stable market.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Beijing last month, and Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the Saudi leader in Riyadh last year where he attended the meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to China’s energy supplies. Riyadh joining the SCO was discussed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia.

^{Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban (L), Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi (C), and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, pose for pictures during a meeting in Beijing, China on March 10, 2023. (Image Credit: China Daily/via Reuters)}

Soon after the Saudi parliament announced its decision regarding joining the SCO, Saudi Arabia’s largest state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, also announced its plans for a joint venture in northeast China and acquiring a stake in a privately controlled petrochemical group.

The U.S. did not immediately release a response to Saudi Arabia’s decision to join the presumable anti-western alliance in the east, however, Washington claims that China’s efforts to sway events globally won’t alter U.S. policy towards the Middle East.