Saudi Arabia Gets Closer to Joining China-Led SCO and Cuts Oil Production In Defiance of US

Strait Talk

Saudi Arabia, a long-time US ally, has taken a step closer to joining a security bloc that many say wants to challenge NATO and other Western-led institutions. Last week, the Saudi cabinet approved measures to become the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation's newest dialogue partner. It's the latest move by Riyadh in its search for alternate economic and security partnerships. The SCO, established in 2001 as a political, economic, and security group, comprises China, Russia, and several Central Asian states. The group later expanded to include India and Pakistan, with Iran becoming the newest full member in November. Last month, bitter rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran also agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a Chinese-brokered deal. Riyadh, which for decades had close security and political ties with the US, has been pursuing new trade and security deals further east. That shift has raised eyebrows in Washington, including Saudi Arabia's latest announcement that it will cut oil production by half a million barrels a day. So is Saudi Arabia forging a new path directly opposed to US interests? Guests: Jacopo Scita Policy Fellow at Bourse and Bazaar Foundation James Dorsey Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore