Saudi Arabia has long been regarded as a strong ally of the US. However, in recent years, it has appeared to forge stronger ties with China. The US has reconfigured its efforts to engage with Saudi Arabia by offering NATO-like security arrangements in return for Saudi Arabia’s recognition of Israel. But the long war in Gaza has stalled negotiations on this front.
On the other hand, China has enhanced its outreach to Saudi Arabia by offering military cooperation. For its part, China has offered to provide J-10 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the same aircraft Pakistan falsely claimed was used to shoot down India’s Rafale during Operation Sindoor.This disinformation was heavily propagated by China, Turkey, and the USA, all acting in their strategic interests. None of these countries could provide any actual evidence for this. China is now taking this same narrative to market its weapons.
It has labelled the J-10 fighter jet as a combat-verified aircraft. Despite its effort, no country—including While speaking to Amwaj.media, a researcher specializing in Middle East affairs at China’s Northwest University stated, “One of the reasons why Saudi Arabia prefers western weapons over its Chinese equivalent is because Chinese weapons have not seen combat in recent years.” Furthermore, he stated, “This may change now that the Chinese-made J-10 fighter jet has drawn its first blood.” Saudi Arabia—has yet made any formal commitment to purchase the J-10 jets.