Saudi deals stymie Xi’s goals
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Saudi Arabia’s leaders have signed about US$50 billion in 34 investment agreements, covering green energy, information technology, cloud services and transportation.
China’s investment would certainly help Saudi Arabia decrease the risk of relying entirely on its energy trade, but China’s proposal to settle its oil payments in its own currency was not realized.
If China pays for 25 percent of Saudi Arabia’s oil in yuan, Saudi Arabia would be able to purchase Chinese products directly with that currency.
This would seem beneficial for both sides, but Saudi Arabia did not agree on China’s proposal for two reasons.
First, as the Chinese government strictly controls its own market, it is not easy to use the yuan for further circulation and exchange. If Saudi Arabia opted to use Chinese currency, its path in global trade would likely come to a dead end.
Second, Saudi Arabia settles its oil payments only in US dollars so that the US in turn can provide the country with military aid and weapons.
China’s military might, on the contrary, is not strong enough to offer security and protection for Saudi Arabia. Moreover, China has a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s enemy, Iran, whereas Saudi Arabia needs the US to keep Iran in check.
Surely Saudi Arabia would not offend the US by adopting China’s proposal.
Although Xi during his visit signed agreements to spend a great amount of yuan in Saudi Arabia, its oil payments are still to be settled in US dollars.
Meanwhile, the China-Saudi relationship has touched a nerve in Iran.
Nonetheless, Xi’s diplomatic trip was celebrated as a success by Chinese officials, whose smiles might have been forced.
Wang Yu-pei
Kaohsiung
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Chinese social media influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), whose real name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), made statements advocating for “reunifying Taiwan [with China] through military force.” After verifying that Liu did indeed make such statements, the National Immigration Agency revoked her dependency-based residency permit. She must now either leave the country voluntarily or be deported. Operating your own page and becoming an influencer require a certain amount of support and user traffic. You must successfully gain approval for your views and attract an audience. Although Liu must leave the country, I cannot help but wonder how many more “Yayas” are still
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
RSS