RIYADH: Chinese President Xi Jinping approached Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince last year to serve as a “bridge” between the kingdom and Iran, jump-starting negotiations that yielded last week’s surprise rapprochement, said a Saudi official on Wednesday.
The initial conversation between Xi Jinping and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took place during bilateral talks at a meeting in Riyadh in December, the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe how the agreement took shape.
“The Chinese leader expressed his desire for China to serve as a bridge between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Crown Prince welcomed this offer,” the official said, later adding that the kingdom sees China as in a “unique” position to wield unmatched “leverage” in the Gulf region.
“In particular, for Iran, China is either No one or No two in terms of its international partners. And so the leverage is crucial in that regard, and you cannot have an equal alternative,” the official said.
According to the official, several other meetings also laid the groundwork for last week’s talks in Beijing.
China brokered Saudi-Iran deal
They included a brief exchange between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers during a regional summit in Jordan in December last year, talks between the Saudi foreign minister and Iranian deputy president during the inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in January, and a visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Beijing in February.
China’s role makes it more likely the terms of the deal will hold, the official said.
“It is a major stakeholder in the security and stability of the Gulf,” the official said.
The agreement identifies a two-month window to formally resume diplomatic ties severed seven years ago.
It also includes vows for each side to respect the sovereignty and not interfere in the other’s “internal affairs.”
China’s involvement raised eyebrows given Saudi Arabia’s historically close partnership with the United States, though that relationship has been strained by issues including human rights and oil production cuts approved last year by the OPEC+ cartel.
“The US and China are both essential partners… We certainly hope not to be a party to any competition or dispute between the two superpowers,” the official said Wednesday.
The official said that US officials were briefed before the Saudi delegation travelled to Beijing and before the deal was announced.
