Saudi Arabia has agreed to a memorandum granting the kingdom dialogue partner status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This was reported by local news agency SPA.
The country’s government on Wednesday (March 29) endorsed the decision to join the SCO, as Riyadh builds a long-term partnership with Beijing, despite Washington’s foreign policy concerns.
Saudi Arabia’s membership of the organization was notably mentioned during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to this country in December 2022. The dialogue partnership will be the first step within the SCO before granting the kingdom the status of full member in the medium term.
The Saudis are also expanding their economic cooperation with their Chinese counterparts. For example, Saudi Aramco raised a multi-billion dollar investment to set up a joint venture in northeast China and acquired a stake in a private petrochemical group.
The growing ties between the two countries are of concern to the United States. Washington said the policy toward Saudi Arabia would remain unchanged, despite Beijing’s attempts to lure Riyadh into the SCO area of interests. At the same time, the Americans hope to remain active trade and economic partners of their Middle Eastern ally.
Photos used: kremlin.ru
