When Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the Middle East, it’s a powerful warning that old alliances may be fraying.
Since World War II, the United States and Saudi Arabia have had a clear division of labor. Saudi Arabia supplies the West and the rest of the world with oil. The United States guarantees the security of the kingdom.
But the relationship between the two countries is not as simple as before. When Joe Biden ran the campaign in 2019, he claimed Saudi Arabia was an “international pariah” and a “brutal dictatorship.”
Saudi Arabia, for its part, helps Russia keep oil prices high so it can finance the war in Ukraine.
This week, the Chinese president is visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It can be a warning of big changes:
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