Saudi-Iran rapprochement & China's diplomatic triumph.

Byline: Saher Liaqat

FOR China, the 'Century of Humiliation' has long been over. The famous statement that 'the 21st century belongs to China' is consistently being proven since the emergence of China as a great power, transforming the US-led international order, via its geo-economic and geo-strategic influence. China's vision of geo-economics ie, a mix of strategic design, investment, soft power portrayal, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, is overarching and more pragmatic than the geopolitical influence of the United States. These characteristics have also proved crucial to China's enhancement of soft power politics and have attracted the attention of most countries across the globe.

Recently, the oil-rich Middle East is becoming a region of great importance for China and many Gulf countries are eager for China to take on a more proactive political role to offset the US hegemony in the region which PRC previously tried to avoid. However, leaving many spectators in awe, Beijing has for the very first time taken on a direct political role to broker the Saudi-Iran deal on March 10 in Beijing, an agreement to rejuvenate the long-strained relationship between the two regional actors of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran. This development has accounted PRC to be in a leading position in Middle Eastern politics, thereby coupling the country's diplomatic clout with its economic supremacy.

The immediate reason for the rupture of the Saudi-Iran ties in 2016, was the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by the Saudi government and the subsequent backlash by Iranian protestors as they stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the vow of divine retribution by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian Supreme Leader. Nevertheless, when the two arch-rivals announced their rapprochement after years of animosity, suspicions and espionage, much of the world was surprised because China was able to achieve what the US and Russia couldn't.

For China, the Saudi-Iran deal is a major diplomatic triumph. Earlier, President Xi played a direct part in the talks as he hosted the Iranian President in Beijing in February this year. In December last year, he also made a high-level visit to Riyadh and participated in China-Arab Summit and China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and met with the officials of oil-rich Gulf states that are crucial to the energy security of China.

With rumbling contentions, between the US and PRC, American policymakers are...