Key Takeaways:
- Saudi Arabia has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a dialogue partner.
- China and Russia predominantly lead the military, economic, and political block.
- The development comes as a huge blow to the United States.

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — In another massive blow to the United States, Saudi Arabia has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). A long-time ally of Washington, Riyadh is now looking eastwards for new strategic partners.
While China leads the SCO, another US adversary, Russia, is a dominant member in the political, security, and trade alliance.
Other member nations in the alliance include India, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan. The bloc also has four Observer States (Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mongolia) and six Dialogue Partners (Nepal, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Turkey).
The SCO is headquartered in Beijing. China’s Zhang Ming, former Head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, currently serves as the bloc’s secretary-general.
According to local reports, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the country’s ruler, presided over the cabinet session, which approved a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a dialogue partner. The organization is expected to grant the Kingdom full membership in the coming years.

Last year, Iran signed the documents that will pave the way for full membership status. Washington has a strained relationship with Tehran as well.
According to reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed joining the SCO last December when he visited Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, announced it would construct a large refinery and petrochemicals complex in northeastern China. Moreover, it signed definitive agreements to acquire a 10% interest in Rongsheng Petrochemical for the equivalent of $3.6 billion.
China-Russia Alliance to Take on US Through SCO
The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen the West rally against Moscow.
The US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has provided Kyiv with advanced weapons to defend itself. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has joined Washington in pressing devastating sanctions on Russia.
In response, Moscow has moved to deepen ties with other economic giants. To find a way out of the sanctions, it has offered some countries heavy discounts on its oil. As a result, India, which overtook the UK as the world’s fifth-largest economy, has become one of the largest purchasers.
In November 2022, Russian oil amounted to 23% of Delhi’s total imports. As a result, Moscow, for the first time, emerged as a top oil supplier to India. On its way to the top, it replaced Iraq as India’s may oil source.
Russia’s share of India’s imports rose to 35% in February this year. To make matters worse, almost a quarter of the Russian imports are now paid in dirham, UAE’s currency, instead of the US dollar.

In a further blow to Washington, Russia pledged earlier this month to use the Chinese yuan instead of the US dollar to settle its trade with countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
China also shocked the United States and its allies by brokering a truce between long-time enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has always maintained close ties with the United States. Bringing the country into the powerful block heralds the diminishing global influence of Washington.
In a further blow to Washington, China completed an LNG gas trade deal with France this week using the Chinese yuan, thus ending the reliance on the dollar for energy trades.
The growing China-Russia alliance and the deepened ties with Saudi Arabia are serious causes of worry for Washington.