Saudi princes are rich but not foolish, and this reception of Trump's entourage is the best proof.

Recently, Trump arrived at Riyadh International Airport, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally came to greet him. Prior to this, Saudi Arabia had specially arranged fighter jets to escort him as a welcome. Such treatment cannot be said to be low.

A few hours later, Saudi media reported that the US and Saudi Arabia had signed a cooperation agreement, with Saudi Arabia investing $600 billion in the United States. Although this falls short of Trump's desired $1 trillion, it is still the largest foreign investment he has received since taking office. This undoubtedly proves that Saudi Arabia is willing to give Trump face.

However, this does not mean that Saudi leaders will take sides with the US on all issues. For instance, when Trump mentioned the issue of China-US tariffs, Saudi Arabia's upper and lower echelons did not let us down. Why do we say so?

After landing, Trump attended the Saudi Investment Forum, where he stated:

1. We have completed an excellent agreement with China;

2. China has agreed to open its market to the United States.

Trump is indeed a cunning old fox. His words avoid the fact that the US has to lower tariffs on China and clearly imply that China did not previously open its market to the US, which was forced by his tariff policy. By saying this, he is not only stepping on China but also sticking a huge "win" sign on his own face. However, any sensible person knows that this tariff war initiated by him has made the US the real loser, not only losing credibility globally but also having to repeatedly show weakness to China.

Essentially, Trump said this to instill confidence in Saudi investors about the US market and make them think about which side to support. After all, in recent years, China and the US have been vying for influence in the Middle East both overtly and covertly. However, to Trump's disappointment, the response from Saudi Arabia was consistent: no response. Even Saudi media, big and small, seemed to have agreed on a unified reaction: they would not echo Trump's claim that "the US won" or take sides with the US on this issue.

In fact, including Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, have already seen the decline of American power, especially the weakening influence in the Middle East. One important manifestation is that this time Trump's visit to the Middle East bypassed the traditional ally Israel, which is not on Trump's list of Middle Eastern countries to visit this time. This indicates that suspicion has arisen between Trump and Netanyahu.

The other day, Trump bypassed Israel and signed a "non-aggression" agreement with the Houthi armed group, which infuriated Netanyahu. But there was nothing he could do. The US is now too eager to extricate itself from the Middle Eastern conflict. American aircraft carriers can't afford to be hit by the Houthis. Statistical data shows that since the clashes began, the Houthis have shot down more than 20 American "Reaper" drones. At the same time, several US carrier-based aircraft have sunk, and the Houthis claimed this was due to their attacks on the US aircraft carrier.

In summary, Saudi Arabia is very smart; they will not offend China to cater to Trump. Especially after the recent air battle between India and Pakistan, rumors have surfaced that the Saudi leadership is restless and wants to buy more equipment from China. Under such circumstances, Trump's plan to drive a wedge between China and Saudi Arabia can only end in failure.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504093387738350116/

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