Yet Another Reason (As If Needed) to Drill in ANWR

Richard L. Russell, writing in OpinionJournal.com (may require free registration), provides a very compelling reason:

Oil for Missiles
Our friends the Saudis make friends with the Chinese.

….. Humiliated by their dependence on Washington for survival in the wake of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the Saudi royal family has long been seeking to forge closer ties with Beijing in the hope of reducing their dependence on the U.S. The Saudis began moving in this direction even before the first Gulf War, secretly negotiating a deal with China in the mid-’80s to purchase CSS-2 ballistic missiles. That was an affront to the Reagan administration and its policy of preventing the proliferation of ballistic missiles. But the Saudis risked American ire because they saw Iran, Iraq and Israel all armed with ballistic missiles and did not want to be left out. In return, China won hard currency for the missile sale, as well as diplomatic relations with Riyadh in a snub to Taiwan.

Since 9/11, and the American public’s backlash over the fact that the majority of the hijackers were Saudi nationals, Riyadh’s search for a new strategic partner has assumed fresh impetus. China, for its part, is importing ever increasing amounts of oil from the Gulf to fuel its rapidly expanding economy. That has prompted a degree of paranoia over “energy insecurity.” Beijing military strategists worry that, because they lack America’s “blue water” navy, the country is potentially vulnerable to a U.S. blockade of oil shipments from the Gulf to China.

Hence the mutual interest in a closer relationship demonstrated during King Abdullah’s three-day visit, which ended yesterday. For all the headlines about the agreements he signed with President Hu Jintao on issues such as energy cooperation and double taxation, it’s a safe assumption that strategic issues were also on the agenda away from the bright lights of the media. Saudi Arabia’s CSS-2 missiles are now obsolescent and Riyadh would welcome modern Chinese models as replacements. For Beijing, that offers a useful tit-for-tat should Washington agree to further large arms sales to Taiwan.

Suddenly the idea that Saudis might turn off the spigot doesn’t seem so outlandish. And it’s not like China doesn’t have the hard currency to pay for as much oil as its energy-sucking economy needs.

Jan. 29: Wizbang Weekend Carnival participant.