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China’s military
ChinaDiplomacy

Explainer | Why is Saudi Arabia looking to China to buy weapons after years of arms deals with the US?

  • Chinese media reported Saudi Arabia bought US$4 billion weapons after the Zhuhai Air Show in November, a much bigger sale than previous deals
  • The Yemen war, journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and the Opec+ decision to cut oil output by 2 million barrels a day have affected US-Saudi defence deals

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China’s CH-4 drone was reportedly the most sold item to Saudi Arabia during the Zhuhai Air Show, although neither party has confirmed a deal. They have been used in major battlefields in the Yemen war. Photo: Simon Song
Kawala Xie
As the world’s largest defence spender, Saudi Arabia has sourced weapons from a variety of countries and in the past has imported mostly from the US.
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But amid increased tension with Washington in recent years following the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and in light of the recent Opec+ oil dispute, Riyadh is actively looking to diversify its weapon sources, with China now considered a top alternative.
Chinese media recently reported that Saudi Arabia bought US$4 billion worth of weapons after the Zhuhai Air Show in November, a sale much larger than their previous arms deal, according to observers.

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Chinese drones among new military aircraft highlighted at Zhuhai Airshow

Chinese drones among new military aircraft highlighted at Zhuhai Airshow

The arms trade between China and Saudi Arabia dates back to the late 1980s, after the two countries held their first official meetings in 1985. They officially established ties in 1990.

The number of arms deals on the public record is not significant, and they were mostly drones, a category for which China has gained an international reputation for great performance at a fair price.

Here, we explain the types of weapons that Saudi Arabia has bought from both China and the US in the past, their uses, and Riyadh’s potential future interest in Chinese weapons.

What weapons does Saudi Arabia buy from China?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia’s first known arms deal with China, and so far the only public missile purchase, was the DF-3 medium-range nuclear missiles it bought in 1986. Saudi Arabia bought 50 DF-3 missiles with conventional warheads.

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