The United States has described the China-brokered normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a good thing, despite the message it may send about waning US influence in the region.
The pact between Riyadh and Tehran, announced last week in Beijing, merely cements the reality of China’s growing role as a significant trade and now diplomatic partner in the Gulf.
Analyst says they that Washington, with its confrontational approach to Tehran, was not in a position to broker the rapprochement, but it can still benefit from it despite the alarm some US hawks have sounded.
Heine, who previously served as Chile’s ambassador to China, said the pact between the two Middle East rivals was China’s breakthrough into the big leagues of diplomacy, but that does not mean it is a setback for the United States.
He told newsmen, however, that the agreement should make Washington rethink its confrontational policies towards other countries.
