Xi Jinping to Attend Gulf Summit on 7th for the First Time... Strengthening US Containment Efforts

Both Sides Attribute "Reestablishing Friendly Relations" to the Talks
Substantial Outcomes Expected Including NEOM City Agreement
Reference to Biden's Empty-Handed Return in July
Chinese State Media: "Arab Countries Tired of Western Arrogance"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung, Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Saudi Arabia for the first time in history. Both sides expressed expectations that this summit will serve as a milestone in establishing a new friendly relationship. China emphasized solidarity with Arab countries by highlighting their shared opposition to external interference and hegemonism, while simultaneously voicing overt containment toward the United States.

On the 7th, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that President Xi would attend the 1st China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Earlier, on the 6th (local time), Saudi state-run SPA news agency also reported on President Xi’s visit schedule to Saudi Arabia. President Xi is expected to hold talks with key Saudi leaders, including the Saudi King and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during his four-day visit from that day until the 10th.

◆ China-Arab Cooperation Accelerates... "A New Milestone in Cooperative Relations" = President Xi’s direct visit to Saudi Arabia is the first in over six years since 2016, and his attendance at the GCC summit is unprecedented. SPA news emphasized, "The first-ever China-Gulf summit will redefine the historic relationship between GCC member states and China."

China also attributed significance to this summit through editorials in state media, stating that it will "elevate bilateral cooperation to a completely new level." On the 7th, the Chinese state-run Global Times (GT) published an editorial titled "The Significance of the China-Arab Summit Milestone," noting, "In the Arab world, where economic development levels vary greatly and internal conflicts among countries are complex, it is rare to see a unanimous friendly attitude toward China and strong expectations for cooperation that endure over a long period."

Another editorial from the same outlet described the summit as "a strategic choice for both sides that will lead to building a community with a shared future," adding, "Mutual trust will deepen, and reciprocity and win-win cooperation will promote prosperity and development." It particularly highlighted that Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Algeria are jointly advancing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with ongoing local construction projects like bridges, roads, and hospitals already bringing significant benefits to these countries.

In fact, this summit is expected to yield substantial agreements and contracts. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, President Xi is scheduled to sign contracts worth 110 billion riyals (approximately 38.6 trillion KRW) with Saudi Arabia. In addition to energy cooperation in oil and gas, agreements related to Saudi Arabia’s mega construction project ‘NEOM City’ are also anticipated.

China is not only the largest trading partner within Arab countries but also experiencing rapid growth in trade volume. Last year, bilateral trade between China and Arab countries exceeded 300 billion USD (approximately 396.36 trillion KRW), and trade volume from the first to third quarters of this year already surpassed last year’s total, reaching 319 billion USD. This represents a 35.28% increase compared to the same period last year. The Global Times forecasted, "The scope of cooperation has expanded from energy to agriculture, digital economy, and nuclear power sectors," and predicted, "This summit will elevate cooperation to a new level."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Showing Up ‘Empty-Handed’ Biden... Strengthening Containment = Another implication of this summit is its role as a ‘containment’ directed at the United States. President Xi’s overt closeness to Arab countries is expected to deal a blow to the U.S. Earlier, in July, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia to prevent oil production cuts despite criticism over human rights issues but returned without significant achievements.

Ali Shihabi, former director of the Arabia Foundation in Washington and a Saudi analyst, told AFP, "President Xi’s visit shows that bilateral relations have significantly deepened in recent years. China, as Saudi Arabia’s largest crude oil importer, is a very important partner, and military relations between the two countries have also developed considerably. Several agreements are expected to be signed during this visit."

Within China, emphasis is placed on ideological and conceptual commonalities with Arab countries to draw a clear line against the United States. The Global Times stressed, "Both China and Arab countries respect sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and advocate mutual non-interference in internal affairs," adding, "They oppose external interference and all forms of hegemonism and power politics," effectively targeting the U.S.

Wang Guangda, Secretary-General of the China-Arab Research Center at Shanghai International Studies University’s Reform and Development Institute, told the media, "Arab countries have grown weary of the arrogance of Western countries through long-term exchanges," and emphasized, "As Crown Prince bin Salman said when he met President Biden in July, the way to work together is through mutual respect." He continued, "Arab countries increasingly recognize that China does not interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and that one power does not confront another. China is a reliable partner that respects independently chosen development paths and does not impose its values."