“Xi’s Saudi Summits Are Projection Of MbS’ Confidence; India Should Be A Shaper Of New World Order”

NEW DELHI: On ‘Talking Point‘, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, India’s Former Envoy to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Author of ‘West Asia At War: Repression, Resistance and Great Power Games‘ in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.

Ambassador Ahmad discusses Saudi King Salman and China’s President Xi Jinping signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the signing of 34 deals, including one with Huawei, totalling a reported $30 billion, the red carpet being laid out in contrast to President Joe Biden’s fist-bump Summit in July, Xi’s Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) Summits, strained Saudi-U.S. ties over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Washington warning of ‘consequences’ after oil production was not increased, quibbles over the Russia-U.S. prisoner swap of Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout in the UAE, the synergies between Xi’s BRI and MbS’s Neom Vision 2030, Chinese drone production and reported talks on ballistic missile technology, India’s relations with the region, New Delhi’s talks for an FTA with the GCC, and geopolitical tension over Iran.