As US reassures Gulf allies, China reaches out to Middle East amid rising oil prices
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
As the United States scrambles to smooth over ties with its key Gulf allies following Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) refusal to join its alliance against Russia and China, Beijing has sought to increase its influence in the region at a time of spiking oil prices.
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“After becoming president, Biden has followed policies which make his regional partners feel overlooked,” said Guy Burton, adjunct professor at Vesalius College in Brussels.
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But Burton, the academic in Brussels, described Beijing’s moves as “ironic” because China and the US had common energy interests in the Gulf.
China’s economic interests in the region were reliant on the security umbrella provided by the US, he said.
“Although the Chinese are portrayed as at odds with the US, in the case of oil supplies, they are both on the same page,” said Burton, author of the book China and Middle East Conflicts. “Beijing would … welcome more production to keep oil prices down.”
