On Thursday, Tan Kewei, the Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson, said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is willing to work with Arab armies and support global security projects collaboratively.
The military forces of China and Arab states both play an important part in the maintenance of peace and security across the world, he said. Tan remarked at the briefing that in recent years, relations between the forces of China and Arab nations have developed fast and in a healthy manner.
According to the spokesman, the countries’ military cooperation was successful in various domains, such as exchanging high-level personnel from various military units. Tan stated that the countries also conducted drills and cooperation on military equipment, technology, and training.
Tan added that the People’s Liberation Army is ready to collaborate with Arab forces to practice the agreement reached at the Sino-Arab summit, jointly support global security projects, and strengthen practical collaboration.
At the first-ever Sino-Arab Summit, which took place on December 10 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participants included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as well as the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Bahrain and other top Arab officials.
Challenging U.S. military dominance in the Middle East
China’s offer of military cooperation to Arab states highlights disagreements between the United States and certain monarchies in the Middle East. In January, the United States Army’s Central Command representatives stated that there were currently just 30,000 military soldiers stationed in the Middle East. This is the lowest number recorded in the previous twenty years.
Since Donald Trump took office, the United States Army has continued its drawdown from overseas deployments. The current President of the United States, Joe Biden, has continued the trend of significantly reducing the strength of the armed forces stationed outside the country, particularly those that are stationed in the Middle East.
However, in June of this year, President Joe Biden stated that the United States would maintain its role as an engaged partner in the Middle Eastern region. Alongside the heads of state from nine other Arab countries, he was in attendance at the summit of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).
The U.S. will not leave and leave behind a vacuum in the region that will be filled by China, Russia or Iran, the head of the White House said.
“We are seeing attempts to undermine order in the world and in the Middle East. China has increased its pressure in the world, mainly in the Indo-Pacific region, Russia continues its brutal and unjust war against neighbouring Ukraine, and Iran continues its destabilizing activities in the Middle East,” the American President explained.
