The Gulf looks to China

on the Arabian peninsula was jittery. After an abrupt surge, oil prices were sliding amid a rich-country recession. Conflict brewing in the Persian Gulf left Saudi Arabia worried about attacks on its oilfields and eager to procure ballistic missiles to deter its rivals. Rebuffed by America, a young and powerful Saudi prince turned instead to China, which signed a secret deal to supply the kingdom with the weapons it wanted.If this story evokes a sense of déjà vu, it most certainly should. It happened four decades ago and led to the establishment of Sino-Saudi relations in 1990. Much of it has echoes today, as Xi Jinping arrived for a visit to Saudi Arabia on December 7th, his second trip to the kingdom.