ABSTRACT
Since 1993, the year it became a net importer of oil, China’s growing reliance on Middle Eastern crude has gradually made it reassess the significance of its relations with Saudi Arabia. While Saudi perceptions of China have received extensive attention, Chinese perceptions of Saudi Arabia remain virtually unexplored in the scholarly literature. China clearly views Saudi Arabia an important player in the Persian Gulf sub-region. In order to secure its dominant position in the global energy market in the face of the renewables revolution, Saudi Arabia is determined to increase output. Saudi Arabia is the biggest labour-importing country in the Middle East. Both China and Saudi Arabia have an ancient history and civilization, and they are two of the most influential developing countries in the world. State-run media underscores Saudi Arabia as being the largest oil producer in the world.
