Voice of America
30 Mar 2023, 04:37 GMT+10
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has agreed to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a 'dialogue partner,' state media reported Wednesday, the latest indication of closer political ties with China.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 as a political, economic and security organization to rival Western institutions.
Besides China, its eight members include India, Pakistan and Russia, as well as four central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
The Saudi Cabinet approved the decision at a meeting Tuesday chaired by King Salman, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The move would grant Riyadh 'the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,' it said.
Other countries with either observer or dialogue partner status include Egypt, Iran and Qatar.
Riyadh's move to partner with the bloc comes less than three weeks after the unveiling of a landmark China-brokered reconciliation deal with Iran to restore full diplomatic relations that were severed seven years ago.
Long bitter rivals, Shiite-majority Iran and mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia have engaged in a series of proxy conflicts in the region, such as the protracted fighting in Yemen.
Riyadh has said that while it had engaged in previous rounds of bilateral talks with Tehran, the reconciliation process was jump-started by President Xi Jinping's offer last year to serve as a bridge between the two Middle East heavyweights.
Xi's role in the rapprochement raised eyebrows given Saudi Arabia's traditionally close partnership with Washington, though that relationship has been under strain recently because of disputes over human rights and oil production.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel played down the impact of Saudi Arabia's move, saying that it was long expected.
'Each country has its own relationships,' Patel said.
Xi, in a phone call on Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's son and the Persian Gulf nation's de facto ruler, lauded what he called the easing of tensions in the Middle East.
In his first comments on the matter to be made public since the Saudi-Iran deal was struck, Xi said the dialogue promoted by China would 'play a major role in strengthening regional unity and cooperation.'
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationBEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- As Chinese President Xi Jinping once observed, in the face of global changes of the century, pursuing modernization...
(250703) -- ADDIS ABABA, July 3, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Liu Junying (L), head of the 25th batch of the Chinese medical team, poses for a...
(250703) -- GOMA (DR CONGO), July 3, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Benjamin Mbonimpa (2nd R), the Congo River Alliance (AFC)'s permanent secretary...
MAURITIUS, 3rd July, 2025 (WAM) - The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) concluded its first-ever official trade mission...
Data to end violence: United Republic of Tanzania “Before, I didn’t know where to report cases of violence. Now, I have...
Accra [Ghana], July 3 (ANI): Ministry of External Affair's Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi stated that Prime Minister Narendra...
VILNIUS, Lithuania – A growing body of research suggests that selectively restricting a single nutrient in our diet could have profound...
BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the shimmering Huangpu River that cuts through the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai sits...
China, EU hold 13th round of high-level strategic dialogue At the 13th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue Wednesday,...
Washington DC [US], July 4 (ANI): As the US Congress passed Republicans' 'One Big Beautiful Bill', President Donald Trump expressed...
Washington is trying to help Ukraine but prioritizing American interests, the US leader has said President Donald Trump has denied...
Washington is trying to help Ukraine but prioritizing American interests, the US leader has said ...