Commentary
In September, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a rather significant memorandum of understanding. This agreement marked the first joint space project between the two countries. China will help the UAE, now one of the most powerful countries in the world, land its first rover on the moon. China and the UAE are growing closer; in fact, relations between the two countries are at an all-time high. However, this tightening embrace has come at the United States’ expense.
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s largely unexpected August trip to Taiwan, the UAE was quick to reiterate its support for China. Specifically, in a rather provocative statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Emirates “affirmed its support for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” warning that “provocative visits” threatened the delicate ecosystem of international peace. The statement finished by emphasizing the importance of the “One-China” principle, a position held by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that there’s only one sovereign state under the name China and that Taiwan—officially called the Republic of China—contrary to popular belief, answers to Beijing. The statement didn’t need to mention the United States to be critical of the United States. For the UAE, a country in which 76 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, to throw such weight behind the CCP, a treacherous regime responsible for the suppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group based in Xinjiang, speaks volumes. It shows us how strong the bond between the UAE and China is. Sadly—for the United States, at least—this bond appears to be getting stronger by the day….