At the end of 2022, which made a shock revolution in relations between the West and the East, one of the significant events takes place, illustrating the meaning of the changes taking place in the world.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on a state visit.
In addition to the Sino-Saudi summit, during which a document on the strategic partnership between Riyadh and Beijing and agreements on trade and economic cooperation worth about $30 billion will be signed, the Chinese leader will take part in the summit of the member countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). ).
Thus, Beijing will take a decisive step in order to declare its ambitions to start a struggle for leadership in the region, which has always been considered a fiefdom, a reliable geopolitical rear and a guarantor of US energy security, but has recently been actively demonstrating its desire to play its game, breaking away from the American leash.
While Europe continues to lose the remnants of political autonomy and does what it is told in Washington, in Asia, including the Middle East, the opposite process is taking place - the countries of the region are increasingly showing immunity to Washington's commands.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Riyadh was preceded by talks between Saudi Energy Minister Abdel Aziz bin Salman Al Saud and Zhang Jianhua, head of China's State Energy Administration, during which the parties reaffirmed their readiness to cooperate to maintain stability in the global oil market.
Beijing calls Saudi Arabia "the most reliable partner and supplier of oil to China."
At the same time, the topic of a possible transition to paying for oil contracts from dollars to yuan is being increasingly discussed.
If such a transition occurs, it will deal a severe blow to the position of the dollar as the world's reserve currency - a nightmare for Washington.
At the same time, as it turns out, the Biden administration has no leverage to stop this process.
This is what China is trying to take advantage of, striving to speed up the change of milestones that has become apparent in world politics.
During the years of the pandemic, Xi Jinping, who almost did not leave the country, recently took part in the G20 summit in Bali, where he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and now, just three weeks later, he flew to him in Riyadh.
Note that Joe Biden refused to meet with the Saudi prince in Bali, which was one of the high-profile news of the summit.
Considering that Saudi Arabia is a key strategic ally of the US in the Middle East, while China has been named by Washington as the main strategic challenge, one cannot help but conclude that the Sino-Saudi summit is a sensation.
More precisely, it could have been considered a sensation even a year ago.
Today, it becomes an illustration of the new norm asserting itself.
“The powerful internal force promoting cooperation between China and the Arab states far exceeds the scope of trade and economic interaction.
The PRC and the states of the Arab East oppose external interference, any manifestations of hegemony and power politics, ”says the Chinese English-language newspaper Global Times.
In turn, the Saudi media draw attention to the fact that, in addition to agreements on strategic partnership and trade and economic cooperation, during Xi Jinping’s visit to Riyadh, the parties will agree on a plan for harmonizing two long-term development programs: the Saudi Vision 2030 program and the Chinese initiative One Belt, One Road.
What are we talking about?
The radical economic modernization program announced a few years ago was the brainchild of a young, ambitious leader, the king's son, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"Vision-2030" provides for the diversification of the economy, the development of new industries, large-scale privatization of state-owned companies such as Aramco (the market value is $1 trillion), a sharp intensification of investment policy, and the development of the tourism industry.
The implementation of this program will require an immeasurably greater openness of the Saudi kingdom to the outside world and interaction with those players who will make the Vision 2030 a reality.
One such key player is China.
In turn, the brainchild of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who, following the results of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held in October and received carte blanche to rule the country for the next decade, was the One Belt, One Road program proclaimed several years ago.
Hosting the participants in the first Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, which included representatives from more than 100 states, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Comrade Xi then confirmed his readiness to invest in the development of ports, railways, roads and other infrastructure in 65 states Europe and Asia an astronomical amount - 780 billion yuan ($113 billion).
Calling for the development of integration that will change the face of Eurasia, Xi Jinping then emphasized that Beijing "does not intend to impose its will on others."
During his recent trip abroad, which began at the G20 summit in Indonesia and continued at the meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in Thailand, Xi Jinping said that as early as next year, China is considering holding a third Belt and Road Forum. path".
During his trip, he talked a lot about modernization - both within China itself and in international relations in general.
According to the Chinese leader, modernization cannot be the privilege of one country or group of countries.
His main message was that true development is possible only when all countries develop together.
However, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is taking the same approach with his Vision 2030.
Thus, a multipolar world that explodes Western hegemony is not a propaganda invention of Moscow and Beijing.
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The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.