Saudi Arabia’s growing outreach to China is drawing attention as the kingdom faces renewed attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis and uncertainty over how far the United States is prepared to intervene.

The immediate concern is security. But the broader story is about how Riyadh has been steadily widening its options beyond Washington. The latest crisis has brought that strategy into sharper focus.

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Squeeze for Riyadh

Riyadh’s China outreach gains attention amid shifting US security ties | X (@Megatron_ron)
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Riyadh’s China outreach gains attention amid shifting US security ties | X (@Megatron_ron)

The pressure has increased because Saudi Arabia’s usual energy-export routes have come under strain. The Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted, while attacks have also threatened the kingdom’s East-West Petroline, which carries crude towards the Red Sea.

Washington refused to militarily intervene against the Houthis. On September 12, US President Donald Trump described the Houthi seizure of Yemen’s Red Sea coast as an issue that “only affects one country.”

The episode has added to concerns in Riyadh over the reliability of its traditional security relationship with the US.

Beijing has useful connections

China’s leadership remains central to Beijing’s expanding ties with Saudi Arabia, from diplomacy and trade to Vision 2030 | X (@Megatron_ron)
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China’s leadership remains central to Beijing’s expanding ties with Saudi Arabia, from diplomacy and trade to Vision 2030 | X (@Megatron_ron)

This is where China becomes important. Beijing has relationships with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, which gives it a channel that Washington does not have with Tehran.

In 2023, China hosted and sponsored talks that led Saudi Arabia and Iran to agree to restore diplomatic relations after years of hostility. That agreement reopened embassies and helped establish Beijing as a diplomatic player in a region where it has major economic interests.

A relationship built over years

China’s influence in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is not new. The two countries have spent years expanding cooperation in energy, infrastructure, technology, and investment.

Carnegie Endowment research shows that the relationship accelerated after Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030 in 2016, with Beijing aligning parts of its Belt and Road Initiative with Riyadh’s economic diversification plans.

Between 2005 and June 2024, Chinese infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia were valued at about $53.85 billion, according to the Carnegie analysis.

Official Chinese data also puts bilateral trade at $107.53 billion in 2024.

More than oil at stake

With $107.53 billion in bilateral trade in 2024, Saudi Arabia’s China relationship has an economic weight that extends well beyond security ties | X
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With $107.53 billion in bilateral trade in 2024, Saudi Arabia’s China relationship has an economic weight that extends well beyond security ties | X

There is also a strategic calculation behind the economic relationship. China is a major buyer of Saudi crude and has interests in the kingdom’s infrastructure and energy projects.

Saudi Arabia, in turn, wants investment, technology, and markets as it tries to reduce its dependence on oil.

Chinese companies have participated in projects ranging from renewable energy to manufacturing and digital infrastructure under the Vision 2030 framework.

That gives the relationship a practical foundation beyond diplomatic symbolism.

Influence without boots

The current Red Sea crisis adds another layer. Saudi Arabia wants the Houthis contained, but China is unlikely to respond with direct military intervention.

Its possible leverage lies instead in its relationship with Iran.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said, “China does not wish to see regional tensions further spill over into Yemen and the Red Sea.”

Beijing has pressed Tehran to restrain the Houthis, although such efforts should not be confused with a Chinese security guarantee for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi’s room

Saudi Arabia’s “China turn” is less about choosing Beijing over Washington and more about reducing dependence on a single power.

The kingdom is expanding economic, diplomatic, and defense relationships with China while continuing to maintain deep ties with the US.

The latest crisis has simply exposed why that diversification matters to Riyadh. When security threats spread across the Gulf and Red Sea, having several powerful partners gives Saudi Arabia more diplomatic channels and strategic options.

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