19
August 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | Saudi Arabia’s China Option

Virtual Event | Saudi Arabia’s China Option

Past Event
Online Only
August 19, 2022
President Joe Biden  takes part in a working session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Al Salam Royal Palace in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on July 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
President Joe Biden takes part in a working session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Al Salam Royal Palace in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on July 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
19
August 2022
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Mohammed Alyahya

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Bernard Haykel Hudson Institute
Bernard Haykel

Former Senior Fellow (Nonresident), Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Chinese President Xi Jinping may soon visit Riyadh. Talk of this possible trip comes a month after President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia and as seasoned observers of international relations wonder about the health of US-Saudi relations. For its part, Beijing sees tension between Washington and Riyadh as China’s opportunity. China is already Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, but as Riyadh focuses on diversifying its economy, Beijing sees new avenues to expand trade relations. These include military avenues. The Biden administration’s efforts to court Iran have deeply frustrated leaders in Riyadh, who have hedged toward Beijing by, among other things, buying arms and equipment and working together on nuclear power.

Please join Hudson Institute for a discussion on how far Chinese-Saudi cooperation can go. Panelists will consider whether Saudi Arabia truly has a China option, how worried the US should be, and how the US should respond.

This event will air publicly on this page on Friday, August 19, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

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