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China–Saudi Arabia relations ( zh, 中沙关系, ar, العلاقات السعودية الصينية) refers to the current and historical bilateral relationship between the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(PRC) and the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab ...
. The first China-Saudi official meeting took place in
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
in November 1985, following several years of heightened contact between the two countries.Yetiv, Steve A., and Lu Chunling. (2007). "China, Global Energy, And The Middle East." Middle East Journal 61(2): 200-218. The two governments established official
diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
on 21 July 1990."Backgrounder: Basic facts about Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"
''Xinhua'', 9 February 2009
Prior to the 1990s, bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the PRC did not exist. In 1975, Saudi Arabia refused to recognize the PRC as a country, despite the PRC's desire to establish relations and acceptance of Saudi Arabian policies. It is said that "oil is the backbone of the relationship", while Saudi Arabia has long relied on China for arms sales, including weapons the former could not acquire from anywhere.Harsh V. Pant. (September (2006))
Saudi Arabia Woos China and India
''Middle East Quarterly'' 13(4) : 45-52.
China and Saudi Arabia are close and strategic allies, with the relationship getting significantly warmer between the two. In a 2015 public opinion poll, 61.3% of Saudi Arabians expressed a favorable view of China, with 34.2% being very favorable, while only 28.5% were unfavorable. China and Saudi Arabia have been increasing cooperation in the energy and financial sectors,
One Belt One Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road ( zh, link=no, 一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 15 ...
, and has signed numerous deals across several areas.
King Salman Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of Kin ...
and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman also hinted that China could boost its diplomatic footprint in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, while stating that "Saudi Arabia is willing to work hard with China to promote global and regional peace, security and prosperity".


Establishing relations

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferr ...
's Treasure voyages sent some men to Mecca and Medina. As of 1989, Saudi Arabia was the only Arab country that still had not established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China (although Saudi Arabia did maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan).T.Y. Wang. (1993). "Competing For Friendship: The Two Chinas And Saudi Arabia." ''Arab Studies Quarterly'' 15(3): 63. After the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
occurred in Beijing in June of that year, Saudi relations with the PRC were upgraded. Despite the event, Saudi Arabia did not provide any criticism of the event. In fact, in August 1989, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry official presented his credentials to the PRC's foreign minister. Less than a year later on 21 July 1990, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, paid a visit to Beijing with an agreement to establish diplomatic relations. A few days later, diplomatic relations were established in
Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
. At this point, Saudi Arabia ended over forty years of diplomatic ties with Taiwan.


Taiwan–Saudi Arabia relations

After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...
(
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
) maintained diplomatic relations with only a few Middle Eastern countries, one of which was Saudi Arabia. The Hui Muslim General
Ma Bufang Ma Bufang (1903 – 31 July 1975) (, Xiao'erjing: ) was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general. General Ma started an industrialization pro ...
was appointed as the first Republic of China ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Ma Chengxiang and Ma Bufang settled in Saudi Arabia. This was for two reasons. The first reason was largely out of "economic necessity," as Saudi Arabia was the largest supplier of oil to Taiwan, with Taiwan's state-run Chinese Petroleum Company importing about 40% of its oil annually from Saudi Arabia. Because Taiwan was so reliant on Saudi Arabia's oil supplies, Taiwan put a significant amount of effort into maintaining relations. The second reason for Taiwan's ROC government warm policy towards Saudi Arabia is because since 1949, Saudi Arabia was an influential countries that recognized ROC as only China, even after ROC lost its seat in the UN Security Council in 1971. Citing respect for Islamic religion was another. Ma Bufang and his son
Ma Jiyuan Ma Jiyuan (Xiao'erjing: , January 18, 1921 – February 27, 2012) was a Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai. He was the son and only child of general Ma Bufang and comman ...
established a Chinese Hui Muslim community in Saudi Arabia's Hejaz region. Relations between Taiwan and Saudi Arabia began around 1965 and were initially based on an agricultural relationship. As a way to demonstrate rice cultivation, Taiwan sent agricultural missions to Saudi Arabia. Then, in 1973, the two countries signed an agricultural cooperation agreement, in which Taiwan provided Saudi Arabia with a number of assistance programs, including irrigation, mechanized cultivation, soil, meteorology, crop rotation, and fishing technology. In 1978, Taiwan also began providing technical assistance in the field of health care. Taiwan has even provided Saudi Arabia with a number of doctors and nurses. Taiwan has also provided significant technical assistance to Saudi Arabia. In 1973, Taiwan's largest heavy construction company, Ret-Ser Engineering Agency (RSEA), began working on the 110-kilometer Mecca to Hawiya highway in Saudi Arabia. This led to other large projects, including the $100.4 million Shaar highway, the construction of an industrial park and sewage system, offshore and onshore work in the Saudi Naval Expansion Program, and housing for the King Abdulaziz Military Academy and King Khalid Military City. As of 1984, RSEA's projects in Taiwan amounted to a total dollar value of $1.3 billion. The majority of trade between the two nations consisted of petroleum from Saudi Arabia and building materials and consumer goods from Taiwan.


Bilateral visits

The first diplomatic visit between Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of China occurred in 1999, when the
CCP general secretary The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader ...
Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as p ...
visited Riyadh, which resulted in the mutual signing of the 1999 Strategic Oil Cooperation agreement. The agreement stipulated that the PRC would open its oil refinery sector to Saudi Arabia if Saudi Arabia would allow for exploration and development opportunities for Chinese investors. While the agreement acted as a starting point for bilateral relations, the results of the agreement were small, as China was not able to use most of the sour crude oil provided by Saudi Arabia's new reserves in Chinese refining facilities.Ben Simfendorfer. (2009). ''The New Silk Road: How a Rising Arab World is Turning Away from the West and Rediscovering China''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Print. China-Saudi diplomatic and economic relations grew closer in the 2000s. In 2004, the People's Republic of China and Saudi Arabia initiated a series of regular political meetings. During the same year,
Sinopec China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (中国石油化工股份有限公司) or Sinopec (), is a Chinese oil and gas enterprise based in Beijing. It is listed in Hong Kong and also trades in Shanghai. Sinopec Limited's parent, Sinopec ...
, China's state-run oil company, signed an agreement to explore gas in the Empty Quarter (
Rub' al Khali The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: / . The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; ar, ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand des ...
) in Saudi Arabia. Then, in December 2005, the People's Republic of China and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (
OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headqua ...
) held their first set of formal talks. In January 2006, King Abdullah was the first ever Saudi head of State to visit China. While in China, King Abdullah signed five major agreements on energy cooperation. The visit was also used as a way to discuss broader economic trade, taxation and technical accords, a vocational training agreement, as well as to finalize an urban development loan for the Saudi Arabian Development Bank in China's Xinjiang province. CCP general secretary Hu Jintao exclaimed that this bilateral cooperation would "write a new chapter of friendly cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the new century." His visit was reciprocated by Chinese leader
Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, and ...
on April 22 of the same year, as part of a world tour. Hu Jintao was only the second foreign leader in history who was granted permission to address Saudi Arabia's legislative council. During this time, the two leaders supposedly signed several agreements regarding further energy exploration and security collaboration. It is said that Saudi Arabia views economic ties with the PRC in a favorable light because they come with "no strings attached" and focus on economic issues rather than political ones. His only mention of non-economical related affairs was, "war and military force is never a permanent solution to a problem," advising to "persist with a just and fair handling of conflicts and bridging of differences through political means." He did not touch upon democracy or human rights. In February 2009, Hu visited Saudi Arabia a second time, to "exchange views on international and regional issues of common concern" with King Abdullah. During this visit, Hu commemorated the opening of a cement plant in Saudi Arabia and worked to strengthen bilateral ties. In February 2019, the Saudi Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman, made a visit to China where he met the Chinese leader and a number of high officials. Along with the
paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...
, the crown prince met the Chinese premier,
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
and others where they agreed in boosting the already-strong commercial ties between the two parties. As both the parties have their own long-run strategic plan, China's Belt and Road and Saudi's Vision 2030, they both expressed wellings to collaborate in the implementation of the said strategies. Moreover, the two parties signed a cooperation agreement to enhance researches and studies in the maritime transport industry. The Saudi crown prince agreed to allocate $10 billion to establish a refining and petrochemical complex in China. In the sideline of the visit, the Saudi Crown Prince announced Saudi Arabia's willingness to teach the
Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the ...
in the Saudi's schools and universities. In December 2022, the
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount lead ...
,
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...
, made a visit to Saudi Arabia where he met King
Salman of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of Ki ...
and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), colloquially known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. H ...
.


Human rights

In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Saudi Arabia, have signed a joint letter to the UNHRC defending China's treatment of
Uyghurs The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia, Cent ...
and other Muslim minority groups in the
Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
region. In June 2020, Saudi Arabia was one of 53 countries that backed the
Hong Kong national security law The Hong Kong national security law, officially the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a piece of national security legislation concerning Hong Kong. It ...
at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
.


Trade and investment

China-Saudi trade has increased significantly since 2000. In 2005 alone, trade increased 59%, allowing Saudi Arabia to overtake Angola as China's largest source of oil for the first time. After claiming the throne in 2005, King Abdullah adopted a pro-Asian, "look east" trade policy, with more than half of Saudi oil going to Asia. Saudi-owned Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (
SABIC Saudi Basic Industries Corporation ( ar, الشركة السعودية للصناعات الأساسية), known as SABIC ( ar, سابك), is a Saudi chemical manufacturing company. 70% of SABIC's shares are owned by Saudi Aramco. It is active in ...
) alone exports over $2 billion in petrochemicals to China on a yearly basis.Kemp, Geoffrey. The East Moves West: India, China, and Asia's Growing Presence in the Middle East. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2010. Print. In 2008, China-Saudi bilateral trade was worth €32,500,000,000, making Saudi Arabia China's largest trading partner in
Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes A ...
. In the first quarter of 2010, Saudi oil export to China has reached over 1 million barrels, exceeding exports to the United States. With the huge increase in China-Saudi trade, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a significant investor in the PRC. Saudis are eager to invest in Chinese oil-industry related projects as a way to secure their status as a major oil provider to China. For example, in 2004, Saudi Arabia's
Saudi Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ar, أرامكو السعودية '), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company) or simply Aramco, is a Saudi Arabian public petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran. , it is one of ...
Overseas Company invested nearly 1/3 of the $3 billion in funds needed for the construction of a petrochemical facility in China's southeastern
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
Province, which is planned to process 8 million tons of Saudi crude oil. Upon completion of this project, the refinery would be able to refine triple its capacity and have the ability to process the Saudi "distressed" crude oil that otherwise could not be refined in China. Further, in 2006, the PRC and Saudi Arabia agreed to jointly construct an oil storage facility on China's
Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
Island and Saudi Arabia invited Chinese firms to participate in infrastructure development worth $624 billion.Alterman, Jon B. "Chinese Soft Power and its Implications for the United States." China's Soft Power in the Middle East. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . On April 6, 2012, SABIC announced a new investment plan of $100 million to set up a new technology center in the Kangqiao area of Shanghai. Three days earlier on April 3, SABIC launched the second phase of construction projects for petrochemical plants in the cities of
Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
and
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...
, which were part of the US$11 billion project with the state-run Sinopec Group to continue boosting output at polycarbonate production complexes. Besides oil-related companies, other major Saudi companies - such as the
Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority The Ministry of Investment (MISA) (), till 2020 as the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) (), is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that oversees foreign investment in the country besides issuing licenses to foreign investors. I ...
(SAGIA) and Saudi Arabian Airlines have established offices in China. In 2006, Saudi Arabia invested $1.1 billion in China, the first significant investment since 2000. Likewise, in 2006, China's largest aluminum producer - Aluminum of China (Chalco) partnered with Saudi companies to build a $3 billion aluminum facility in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, China Railway Company won a $1.8 billion bid to build a monorail in Mecca as a way to help transport pilgrims. In May 2019, China's import of Saudi crude oil has increased by 43%. This has made Saudi Arabia the top supplier to China.


Military relations

While official diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and China were not established until the 1990s, defense relations began beforehand in the 1980s. When the United States refused to sell Saudi Arabia long-range fuel tanks for Saudi F-15 fighters, Prince Khalid bin Sultan traveled to China to purchase ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia arranged a deal with China in 1988 to obtain between fifty and sixty nuclear-payload-capable CSS-2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles. One commentator asserted, "The Chinese in essence hoodwinked the Saudis into buying an antique missile system worthless without its nuclear warhead." After this interaction, there is no more documented evidence of similar transactions. However, there is speculation that China-Saudi strategic military cooperation has continued to grow. Experts believe that China has based more than one thousand of its military advisers at Saudi missile installations. Press reports indicate that China has offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to purchase modern missile systems. (i.e. 373-mile range CSS-6, 1,118-mile range CSS-5 solid-fueled missiles, 3,418-mile range CSS-2 intercontinental ballistic missile.) China is one of the few countries supplying this type of technology and as such is capable of demanding a cash transaction. Saudi Arabia publicly displayed them for the first time in 2014. In January 2014, ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' revealed that
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
had secretly bought a number of CSS-5 medium-range ballistic missiles in 2007. They also said that the American
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
had allowed the deal to go through as long as the missiles were modified to not be able to carry nuclear warheads. After the
gulf war The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, the Saudis and the CIA worked together to covertly allow the purchase of Chinese CSS-5s. The CSS-5 is solid-fueled instead of liquid-fueled like the CSS-2, so it takes less time to prepare for launch. It is accurate to 30 meters CEP, allowing it to attack specific targets like compounds or palaces. The Saudis are not known to possess mobile launchers, but may use the same 12 launchers originally bought with the CSS-2s. The number of CSS-5 missiles that were bought is unknown. Newsweek speculates that details of the deal being made public is part of Saudi deterrence against
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. In Sep 2014, Saudi Arabia purchased CSS-5s ballistic missiles from China to defend Mecca and Medina, said Dr. Anwar Eshki, a retired major general in the Saudi armed forces. Saudi significantly escalated its ballistic missile program with help from China according to US intel. Saudi used the Chinese-made PLZ-45 howitzers and
CAIG Wing Loong The Chengdu GJ-1, also known as Wing Loong 1, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and ae ...
drones to bomb
Houthi The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
rebels during the
Military Intervention in Yemen A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. A license to produce Chinese-made CASC Rainbow (CH) drones was granted to Saudi Arabia in 2017. China and Saudi held first joint naval drills in 2019. In 2021, '' CNN'' reported that satellite images indicated that Saudi Arabia was, with Chinese assistance, manufacturing solid fueled missiles of an undetermined type.


Scholarship and aid

Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Saudi Arabia was the largest aid donor to China, providing close to €40,000,000 in financial assistance, and an additional €8,000,000 worth of relief materials. Chinese companies in Saudi Arabia have awarded scholarships to Saudi students allowing them to study abroad in China. The Chinese government is also offering scholarships directly to students and professionals for further training.


Nuclear cooperation

On January 15, 2012, China and Saudi Arabia signed a deal signifying increased nuclear cooperation. According to Saudi Arabia, the goal is "to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the development and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes." The deal sets the stage for strengthened scientific, technological, and economic cooperation between the People's Republic of China and Saudi Arabia, focusing on areas such as maintenance and development of nuclear power plants and research reactors, as well as the supply of nuclear fuel components. This agreement is Saudi Arabia's fourth nuclear agreement, following such deals with France, Argentina and South Korea. The agreement was signed at the end of Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic polic ...
's first trip to Saudi Arabia as part of a six-day tour to the Middle East. Saudi expanded its nuclear programme with help from China according to US intel.


See also

* Foreign relations of China *
Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia are the diplomatic and trade relations between Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world. The foreign policy of Saudi Arabia is focused on co-operation with the oil-exporting Gulf States, the unity o ...


References


External links


Embassy of China in Saudi Arabia

Embassy of Saudi Arabia in China
{{DEFAULTSORT:China-Saudi Arabia relations
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
Bilateral relations of Saudi Arabia