China and the 2023 Iran-Saudi Agreement: Setting, Goals and Significance

In: Problemy Dal'nego Vostoka: naučnyj, obščestvenno-političeskij žurnal, Heft 3, S. 70

Abstract

The article discusses a number of issues related to the achievement in March 2023 of the Agreement on the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mediated by China. The author describes background of the Agreement, noting the fact that the idea of its achievement matured under the influence of complex and long-term circumstances. The article also concerns the role of the United States in the Middle East, which also influenced the formation of Iranian-Saudi relations. The author pays particular attention to the new developments in the political and economic spheres of China's relations with the Middle East and North African countries. The characterization of China's evolving approach in the region explains why Iran and Saudi Arabia chose China as a trusted and effective mediator. China's advantage is believed to lie in its diplomatic paradigm, which involves avoiding taking sides and striving to bring both parties closer together.

The article addresses the question of why the beginning of 2023 was chosen for the signing of the Agreement, highlighting a number of objective and subjective circumstances that influenced this choice, which are examined in a comprehensive manner. After discussing the key provisions of the Agreement, the author turns to the international significance of the document, concluding that after its conclusion, the United States will no longer be the sole global power playing a significant role in the Middle East. It is highly unlikely that China will leave the region where it has made such a diplomatic impact and where its political and economic interests are gaining a new scale.