In this world, there is one kind of country that is most dangerous, that is, it is very rich and at the same time very weak in military strength, and in the eyes of other countries it is simply a lamb to the slaughter, which may face foreign invasion at any time. Saudi Arabia used to be such a country, sitting on rich oil resources, Saudi Arabia can make a lot of money every year just by exporting oil. However, Saudi Arabia, which is accustomed to living a prosperous life, can only be described as miserable in the war, and in the case of advanced weapons, it can be beaten by the Houthis to the point of losing its armor. And Saudi Arabia is well aware of this weakness of its own, so Saudi Arabia has chosen to exchange the "petrodollar deal" for US military protection.
With this layer of protection, Saudi Arabia has indeed ushered in a period of tranquility, no matter how chaotic the situation in the Middle East is, Saudi Arabia is basically free from attacks and does not have to worry about its own national security. However, as King Salman gradually ages, the incoming crown prince Salman is unwilling to let Saudi Arabia serve as an "oil tank" for the United States, and is determined to make Saudi Arabia an emerging technological power that no longer relies on oil, and the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States has also undergone subtle changes.
Previously, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States was closer to "employer and bodyguard", but with the breakthrough of shale oil technology in the United States, the United States has gradually become one of the world's largest oil exporters, and Saudi Arabia and the United States have begun to become commercial competitors. A few days ago, in order to seize the market, Saudi Arabia joined hands with Russia to increase oil production, which was stunned to hit the international crude oil price to the freezing point, causing great pressure on the United States, which has a high shale oil extraction cost. With the occurrence of the "Khashoggi incident", Salman's dissatisfaction with the United States reached its peak, and unlike the pro-American old King Salman, Crown Prince Salman hopes to diversify Saudi Arabia's diplomacy, which is not only an ally of the United States in the Middle East, but also actively develops Saudi Arabia's relations with China and Russia.
After the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Saudi Arabia, dissatisfied with Israel's atrocities in Gaza, announced that it had stopped negotiations to normalize relations with Israel, and after that, negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the United States on signing a security agreement also reached an impasse. A person familiar with the matter broke the news that the United States has offered harsh conditions to Saudi Arabia, including the termination of cooperation with China in all aspects, in short, it wants Saudi Arabia to become an absolute vassal of the United States again. Salman, who is determined to get Saudi Arabia out of dependence on the United States, naturally cannot agree to such conditions, so the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States has become delicate.
On June 23, the US media suddenly released a declassified short video, showing that an immigrant of Saudi descent named Omar Bayumi had "stepped on points" near the Pentagon and Capitol Hill many times before the 9/11 incident. The video also inserts an FBI narration suggesting that Omar has ties to the Saudi government, which is behind 9/11. In fact, after the 9/11 incident, there was a theory in the United States that the Saudi government had something to do with the 9/11 incident, and that Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden were just substitutes. However, at that time, Saudi Arabia was an ally of the United States, and the "petrodollar agreement" was the foundation for maintaining American hegemony, so the US government has always believed that "9/11 has nothing to do with the Saudi government".
However, at a time when relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States are tense, the United States suddenly broadcast this kind of declassified short film, which has the meaning of knocking Saudi Arabia, as if to warn Salman: The United States still remembers Saudi Arabia's accounts, and if it does not obediently comply, the United States will have to settle accounts after the autumn.
However, the Salman family is not accustomed to the problems of the United States, and the United States is not preventing me from cooperating with China? Then I'm going to give you eye drops! On June 25, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of Crown Prince Salman, made a surprise visit to China. The Saudi defense minister's visit to China brought a high-level military delegation, including the commander of the Strategic Rocket Force, and the Chinese side sent Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Dong Jun, defense minister, to personally receive them, giving Saudi Arabia enough face.
There are speculations that Saudi Arabia may import new ballistic missiles from China, while others speculate that Saudi Arabia hopes to purchase new fighter jets from China, and that China and Saudi Arabia are preparing to cooperate in certain military fields. In his speech, Prince Salman revealed a bombshell news, that is, Saudi Arabia is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China and elevate the relationship between the two militaries to a higher level.
This means that Saudi Arabia may be preparing to end military cooperation with the United States, in the past Saudi Arabia had no other choice, so it could only rely on the United States, but now Saudi Arabia has a better partner, the United States can give Saudi Arabia, China can basically give, China can bring Saudi Arabia help, the United States may not be able to give, such as in science and technology support. Now that Saudi Arabia has opened the skylight and said something bright, it is equivalent to telling the United States: Without the United States, Saudi Arabia can still live in style.