The Changing Relationship - China and the Middle East

In the 'Well put, old chap' quotes department:

Yet Saudis are quick to note that China's gain is not necessarily America's loss. China cannot provide the security guarantees that the United States has to most of the countries in the Gulf region. In that light, the idea that Saudi Arabia would turn entirely to China can also be seen as a bit of political stagecraft.

"We are in a Catholic marriage with America," Bahlaiwa said, emphasizing that divorce was unthinkable. "But we are also Muslims - we can have more than one wife."

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