Last April, the Turkish president made a show of appeasement with the Saudi crown prince during a visit to Saudi Arabia, the first in five years

The foundations of the Erdogan presidential era are wasting away. The prognosis of a failed economic policy, which has led to the devaluation of the Turkish lira and galloping inflation in the country, has been dominating Turkey’s election campaign, which practically began with the February earthquake.  

And the image of a “weaker-than-ever” Erdogan has spread easily through the Turkish opposition, which is united in the coalition led by Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party that aspires to unseat the worn-out Erdogan in the next elections on 14 May, for the first time since 2003. But the still-president is still weaving a grand foreign policy to solve domestic problems. 

The Turkish president has long since recalibrated relations with his neighbours after embarking on an aggressive foreign policy. This was a way to rebuild its political status and successfully emerge from the isolationism that Erdogan himself fostered. Since then, the Turkish government has moved closer to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, above all, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf heavyweight that promises to come to the rescue of Turkey’s disastrous economic crisis.  

To this end, it is in Erdogan’s interest to be careful in dealing with his new partner. Just this week, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar met his Saudi counterpart Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Riyadh to discuss regional and international issues of interest and boost cooperation in the first round of political consultations between the two countries, including the economy.

Great to see #SaudiArabia‘s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji and #Turkey‘s Burak Akcapar coming together to discuss common interests. Productive conversations ahead! pic.twitter.com/KttSp6eguC— Reema Salima (@ReemaSalima) April 11, 2023

Burak Akcapar also visited the succulent headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Congress (GCC) and held talks with its secretary, Jassem Albudaiwi, and assistant secretary general for political and negotiation affairs, Abdulaziz Aluwaisheg. An interest that has been spearheaded by Ankara after Riyadh injected $5 billion into Turkey’s Central Bank last month, a major catalytic help in tackling the country’s economic crisis. 

In any case, this strengthening of ties comes on the heels of Erdogan’s détente with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which was sealed a year ago with the Turkish president’s visit to the Wahhabi kingdom and the crown prince’s visit to Turkey two months later. With the tension buried after the Khashoggi case, bin Salman took a measured approach to economic cooperation with Erdogan, including lifting the Saudi boycott of Turkish products. 

The Saudi kingdom took the lead in supporting Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated southern Turkey by sending humanitarian and relief aid. But Riyadh has gone beyond a pill of aid at a critical moment: Ankara’s new trade relations with the Persian Gulf. Erdogan, as if it were his last card in presidential limbo, is aiming to secure foreign exchange with the Gulf similar to the volume of business he already has with China, Qatar, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, which is worth more than $28 billion.

Source: Atalayar

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There are such positive impacts on the new visit of Chinese President “Xi Jinping” to the Saudi Arabia to  narrow the gap in economic development and easing the turbulent situation. Here, China expects to take advantage of the opportunity of the first Chinese-Arab summit to work with the Arab countries to consolidate the historical friendship, and to continue to deepen the formula of comprehensive, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation between the two sides, in order to reach more consensus between the two sides in political dealings, economic and trade cooperation, as well as in building the Chinese society. Arab countries for a common future, including bilateral cooperation between the two sides in some traditional fields such as energy and agriculture, in addition to the digital economy and space.  In addition, the two sides are likely to expect to reach more common consensus on important issues in international forums, such as the Ukraine crisis and the recovery of the global economy.

The visit of “Xi Jinping” to Saudi Arabia embodies a new reality and a historical turning point for the region, which has long been seen as an exclusive focus of influence for the United States, especially through its military presence. However, in light of the tense relations between Riyadh and Washington, another picture of the American-Saudi rapprochement has emerged.  This visit is also an indication of the change taking place in international relations, for a multipolar world that China, Russia and other countries want.  Of course, the Arabs have an interest in this transformation and rapprochement with the Chinese Asian giant.

 Where the convergence of the Chinese industrial and economic power with the Gulf and Saudi energy giants comes at a very sensitive time with the tension in Saudi relations with Washington, especially against the background of the issue of human rights, as well as Riyadh’s support for oil production restrictions before the mid-term elections that the United States will witness.

 All this at a time when US President “Joe Biden” considers the situation a global competition between democracies and authoritarian regimes, and makes it the focus of his presidential term.

 Here It seems that President Xi Jinping is seeking through his visit to the region and his holding of two summits, the first Gulf-Chinese, and the second Arab-Chinese, in the presence of the leaders of the countries of the region who began to flock to the Saudi capital.  According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, President Xi Jinping’s program represents “the largest scale diplomatic activity between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.”

 As for Saudi Arabia, the gradual disengagement from Washington in the Middle East and the slow erosion of its security guarantees with the United States of America present an opportunity for China to achieve economic gains due to the tensions between the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia, which were reflected in relations with Washington.

 Although economic relations are still based on energy-related interests, bilateral relations have expanded in light of the Gulf renaissance in terms of infrastructure and technology, which is part of the diversification plans that are gaining importance as the world seeks to move away from fossil fuels.

Here, there Is no doubt that the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a great opportunity for China to increase investments and strengthen strategic partnership with the countries of the region, which is a vital area for energy security and is located on the new Silk Road adopted by the Chinese president through the One Belt, One Road initiative.  After adopting the policy of soft power, China has now changed its strategic doctrine, as it seeks to protect its interests and win the Arab and Islamic countries to its side.

  This visit is certainly very important in promoting bilateral relations between China and Arab countries.  First, President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the first China-Arab Summit is China’s diplomatic move towards the Arab world, which is the largest and highest level since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.  China has confirmed that it will become a milestone in the history of Sino-Arab relations.  Since 2012, the China-Arab strategic partnership has continued to advance, and joint efforts to build the “Belt and Road” have achieved fruitful results. Initiative framework agreements were signed between China and twenty Arab countries.  On the other hand, the world is witnessing tremendous changes, and in the face of global challenges, there is common political consensus and great economic completion between China and the Arab countries, which greatly contributes to helping each of them overcome problems.

Source : Dr. Nadia Helmy

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