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Pakistan's Premier Multilingual News Agency

Saudi Arabia strengthens ties with China, joining SCO

State news agency SPA reported that Saudi Arabia has accepted a memorandum that assigns it the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Riyadh, 30 March 2023 (GNP): In defiance of U.S. security concerns, Saudi Arabia is forging a long-term alliance with China as its cabinet approved the country’s intention of joining the SCO on Wednesday.

According to some sources, Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about joining the SCO during his visit to Saudi Arabia last December.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Saudi cabinet presided over by King Salman and held at Jeddah’s al-Salam Palace reported SPA.

Before awarding the kingdom full membership in the organization, they stressed, dialogue partner status will be a must.

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King Salman also gave the go-ahead for the start of technical and vocational training between the Kingdom and China during the meeting.

In a bid to compete with Western institutions, the SCO was set up in 2001 as an economic, political, and security organization. 

Russia, Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are among its members alongside China.

The Iranian parliament also accepted Iran’s SCO membership last November. 

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After a Tuesday statement by Saudi Aramco that it had sealed a planned joint venture in northeast China and bought a share in a privately managed petrochemical company, the decision to join the SCO was made.

Significant attempts have been made to strengthen ties between Saudi Arabia and China. 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed gratitude to China on Tuesday for its assistance in fostering “good neighborly relations” between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

After severing diplomatic ties in 2016, Saudi Arabia and Iran decided to resume them on March 10, thanks to Chinese arbitration.

Washington, Riyadh’s longtime partner, is concerned about security due to the kingdom’s expanding relations with China. 

China’s efforts to shape events globally, according to Washington, won’t alter US policy toward the Middle East.

Concerned about what they perceive to be the United States’ retreat from the region as the primary security assurance, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have taken steps to expand their allies. 

However, Washington asserts it will continue to be a key player in the region.

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