Beijing hosted the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia this weekend for a meeting the Chinese Foreign Ministry described on Monday as a sign of the Communist Party’s commitment to “play[ing] a constructive role” in the Middle East.
The Chinese Communist Party brokered talks between the Sunni and Shiite rivals that led to the announcement in March, from Beijing, of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh. Iran and Saudi Arabia have for years maintained a bitter rivalry, the result of both their religious differences and Iran’s status as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Iran-backed terror entities such as the Houthi jihadist group of Yemen pose a significant threat to Saudi national security.
Saudi Arabia has allowed relations with Iran to thaw in the past two years in part as a result of the worsening ties with America, thanks to belligerent statements and poor diplomacy by the administration of President Joe Biden.
As a candidate in 2020, Biden promised to turn Saudi Arabia, a traditional ally, into a global “pariah.” As president, he outraged Saudi Arabia by delisting the Houthis as a terrorist organization – despite no evidence the group had abandoned terrorism – and received a cold welcome when he traveled to Jeddah to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, in July 2022.
That awkward meeting preceded what China branded a “honeymoon” with the Mideast power.
Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken bizarrely welcomed China’s involvement in normalizing the Iranian terror regime in June, stating of China’s role in normalizing ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, “if China takes initiatives that actually help solve problems and advance peace, that’s a good thing, and we support it.”
China has increasingly attempted to elevate its geopolitical profile in the Middle East both as an attempt to expand its economic influence in the region and to support anti-American interests in the region. The Communist Party has been a vocal supporter of the jihadist terror organization Hamas in the aftermath of the October 7 atrocities committed against Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and involved gang rape, the gruesome killing of babies, and desecrating corpses.
According to a report on Sunday by the Iranian outlet Tasnim News, Israel’s self-defense operation in Hamas-dominated Gaza was one of several topics discussed by the Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing. China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, hosted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri and Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereiji to reportedly discuss both cooperation among the three parties and unity on message against Israel for attempting to prevent a repeat of October 7.
“Voicing China’s support for closer cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, Wang Yi said Beijing wants to help strengthen economic, security and cultural relations as well as popular exchanges between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Tasnim reported. “He also highlighted China’s support for the position of Muslim and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue and called for the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and delivery of humanitarian aids into the enclave.”
China – along with the world’s Muslim nations – has been calling for a “ceasefire” since Israel declared war on Hamas on October 8 and vowed to take action to prevent a similar assault on its civilians. A “ceasefire” would essentially allow Hamas to commit atrocities against Israeli civilians with impunity. It is a position incompatible with China’s internal actions. China is currently committing genocide against the Muslim populations of occupied East Turkistan in response to an alleged jihadist threat from a terrorist organization that does not exist. Iran has not condemned the Muslim genocide; Saudi Arabia has supported it.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s description of the meeting between the three diplomats on Monday matched Tasnim’s reporting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin added the detail that Wang Yi presented his guests with a “three-point suggestion” plan for ensuring durable peace between the two.
“Director Wang Yi had a group meeting with the delegations from the two countries and put forward a three-point suggestion on the improvement of Saudi Arabia-Iran relations,” Wang Wenbin listed, “first, stay committed to the strategic choice of reconciliation; second, advance the process of improving relations; and third, reject external disruption.”
“The three parties also discussed the trilateral cooperation in various fields and stated their common positions on regional hotpot issues including Palestine,” he added.
“China will always support the people in the Middle East in independently exploring their development paths. We will always support Middle East countries in uniting and working together to find solutions to the security issues in the region,” Wang Wenbin asserted. “China will continue to contribute its insights to the peace and tranquility in the Middle East and play our positive role in this process.”
China has elbowed its way into the Hamas-Israel conflict primarily through its role at the United Nations Security Council, where it served as president for November. The Communist Party has repeatedly called for a “ceasefire” and “constraints” on Israel’s self-defense.
Saudi’s Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih attends the opening of the China-Saudi Investment Conference in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
“In order to realize an immediate ceasefire when Israel ignores all calls and warnings to halt its military operations in Gaza, the world, or at least countries in the region that care about the humanitarian situation of Palestinians, also needs measures to impose concrete constraints on Israel,” the Global Times, China’s top English-language state outlet, demanded in November.
Chinese dictator Xi Jinping himself, in late November, demanded that Israel stop its “collective punishment” in Gaza and institute a “ceasefire immediately.”
“China is gravely concerned that the conflict is causing enormous civilian casualties and a humanitarian disaster, and tends to expand and spill over,” Xi said at a BRICS meeting featuring Iran and Saudi Arabia.
China also hosted a summit of Arab foreign ministers in November intended to offer a platform to anti-Israel voices.
“China is a good friend and brother of Arab and Islamic countries. We have always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of Arab (and) Islamic countries and have always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people,” Wang Yi reportedly said at that meeting.