China has achieved the unattainable and deserves to be commended by any rational and constructive individual within the sphere of International Relations. The role of China in facilitating a reconciliation between the two major oil producing rivals in the Middle East in 2023, highlights their reliability in offering an alternative to the United States of America's 'US' led world order. Iran and Saudi Arabia have reconciled and agreed to reopen their respective embassies following a seven-year period of animosity. Despite the current situation, there continues to be a dialogue between the two nations. Saudi Arabia terminated its ties with Iran after Iranian protesters assaulted Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in 2016, following the execution of the revered Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia. The heated rivalry between the predominantly Shia Iran and the Sunni Saudi Arabia has been a prominent feature in Middle East politics over recent years.
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia and Iran have subscribed to two distinct spheres of influence, namely the United States and the Chinese camp. Iran has been a part of the Chinese sphere of influence for a considerable period, while the Saudi Kingdom has been under the influence of the United States for a long time. The origins of this relationship can be traced back to 1974, when the then Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger R.I.P., signed a deal with Prince Fand Ibn Abdel Aziz, Second Deputy of the Premier of Saudi Arabia. One component of the Accord was that the United States would procure oil from Saudis and offering them protection. Saudi Arabia would then sell their oil in US Dollars, rather than their own currency. Additionally, they would procure weapons from the United States. It was understood that once the Saudis agreed to sign the agreements outlined in the Accord, the remaining oil-producing nations in the Middle East would follow suit, thereby converting their oil into US Dollars. This was precisely what transpired. This is where the term 'Petrodollar' originated from. Therefore, let's consider who was the US protecting the Saudi Kingdom from? The obvious answer is Iran. These two nuclear powered camps, the US and China, have distinct foreign policy doctrines. I would like us to have a deeper understanding of their foreign policies.
First, let's focus on the United States. The US sphere of influence, for instance, comprises the Global North, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, and the majority of the Global South. NATO, a US-led sphere of influence, has conducted numerous operations, including bombing and invading countries based on varying degrees of intelligence. Some of these operations have been debunked. Since the late 1990s, NATO has conducted operations in Serbia, invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, bombed Libya, and Somalia, occupied the oil and agricultural rich fields of Syria up until April 2026; unilaterally sanctioned many countries without any UN Mandate but still enforced it on those countries like Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Russia, Afghanistan and some Chinese companies for instance, Huawei. During that process, over a million people lost their lives within those countries. The US have about 750 overseas military bases in more than 80 countries, out of these, 313 are based in East Asia alone to contain and encircle China in their own supposed sphere of influence. In November 2022, the Biden administration, previously in charge, informed Congress that it had approved a total of $323 million in arms sale to Finland. In 2021, Australia terminated a €50 billion submarine contract signed with the French company, Naval Group in 2016 for a fleet of 12 state-of the-art submarines. Australia then handed the contract over to the US and the United Kingdom, now called the 'AUKUS' submarines deals. At the time, the French President, Emmanuel Macron was furious, recalling his ambassadors from both Australia and the US. He described this as a "stab in the back". The US foreign policy doctrine is partly focused on the sale of weapons. Following the outbreak of the War in Ukraine, and the sanctions imposed by the European Union and most of the Global North countries on Russian gas and oil, the citizens and residents of these countries have been experiencing higher electricity and gas bills. In some instances, these costs have tripled compared to 2020.
This presents a significant opportunity for the United States to offer its liquified natural gas 'LNG' to Europe, which is significantly more expensive than the Russian version and its domestic price. European politicians voiced their concerns and expressed their discontent with the US, but this did not lead to any results. In August 2023, the United States enacted its flagship green technology legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act 'IRA', worth over $360 billion. This was implemented to attract European manufacturing companies to relocate to the United States, thereby, disenfranchising the European continent from both employment opportunities and tax collection from these companies. The IRA Act aims to offer incentives and tax rebates to companies based in the United States. The former German Economy Minister in the Chancellor Scholz's government, Robert Habeck, expressed the US support as "excessive" and "hoovering up investments from Europe". On the other hand, President Macron stated that " I think we need European wake-up on this point". It is worth noting that the US is attempting to combine two objectives, selling Europe expensive LNG and then attracting their manufacturing companies to relocate to the United States.
Let us consider the Chinese sphere of influence. One of their most significant initiatives, in my humble opinion, is the Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the New Silk Road. The primary objective of this colossal endeavour is to foster regional economic growth, through the creation of mutually beneficial cooperation and joint prosperity. This ambitious initiative aims to construct two new trade routes that connect China with the rest of the world. Most Chinese international trade transits through the Malacca strait off the coast of Singapore, a US ally. It could be argued that China is attempting to extricate itself from the constraints surrounding its current position. In this regard, China seeks to establish its own more secure and reliable trade routes without any obstacles. However, there are individuals who contend that China aims to establish a more interdependent market, enhance its economic and political influence, and nurture the necessary connectivity to establish a high-tech and economy that can compete with the United States. China has not imposed unilateral sanctions on any global entity but has effectively replicated the sanctions imposed by the United States. China maintains approximately eight foreign military bases across the globe, including one in Djibouti, and a few on artificial islands in the South China Sea.
In 1922, Walter Lippmann coined the term “manufacture of consent”, but was popularised by the Great thinker, philosopher, cognitive scientist, social critic and political activist, honourable Professor Avram Noam Chomsky, in one of his many books called, ‘Manufacturing Consent, co-authored with Edward S. Herman’. It argues that the mass communication media of the U.S. "are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function, by reliance on market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, and without overt coercion", by means of the propaganda model of communication". The rationale behind referencing the above statement is to enlighten and raise awareness to my readers, to ensure that they do not believe everything that is relayed to them by those in power of authority, on that note, question more. We should always strive to ask ourselves why there is persistent opposition towards certain individuals, cultures, and ideologies.
To sum up, I would respectfully suggest that the rest of the world should consider the wisdom of the Chinese foreign doctrine. They have successfully accomplished the unattainable goal of peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which, to some extent, still holds sway, and at the same time, they have unexpectedly surprised the world. It was not until they made a joint statement that anyone was aware of the ongoing discussions. To be honest, China never expresses any criticism towards any country, ideologies, or individuals; rather, they focus solely on advancing their own agendas without any hesitation. They have also never publicly affirmed themselves as the sole authority to dictate what everyone else should do. This approach, while commendable, is certainly worth emulating.
By Hassan Salla
Political Scientist & International Relations Expert
