The look East policy

These days I am constantly being reminded of an adage: Blessed is the movement or movement is blessed. Why? It is due to the manner in which the Saudi leaders are taking action to forge new strategic alliances with other economic powers around the world.
Our leaders are leaving no stone unturned to change the fortunes of the country and to end its dependence on oil income. It is a huge task and needs decisive actions to accomplish. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is working relentlessly to achieve this goal. His foreign visits show his keenness to transform the country’s economy.
The deputy crown prince has a dream to see his country turning into an economic power in the world. He has a dream to bring about radical changes in all spheres of life for the greater good of the country and its people. Since assuming the position of the deputy crown prince of the country, he has been taking drastic steps to expedite the process of reforms. He stirred the stagnant water by shaking up the bureaucracy and by restructuring various organizations and government bodies to streamline their working in the larger interest of the people of Saudi Arabia. His main aim is to modernize the overall government function so as to help the masses in every way possible.
He has a vision. The vision is to diversify the Saudi economy, which has been dependent solely on oil since its establishment. In line with his dream and vision, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited three important countries — China, Japan and Pakistan.
Pakistan, as we all know, is a major Saudi ally and has always stood by our side through thick and thin. During all sorts of crises, these two brotherly countries have supported each other. Our ties with Pakistan are built on mutual respect and trust. Pakistan has always supported Saudi Arabia against any foreign threat.
Saudi Arabia’s ties with China are also very strong. The deputy crown prince’s visit to Beijing has added further depth to the strategic ties. During the visit, various agreements were signed between the two countries in various fields. China and Japan are major partners of the Kingdom.
The accompanying team also held meetings and signed agreements with their Chinese and Japanese counterparts.
The deputy crown prince aims to boost trade ties with China and Japan. Saudi Arabia is keen on attracting foreign investors to the Kingdom and is taking various steps to facilitate these investors.
The deputy crown prince will return to China to lead the Kingdom’s delegation at the G-20 summit to be held on Sept. 4 and 5 in the city of Hangzhou where he is expected to present his Saudi Vision 2030.
However, these visits were not only limited to economic and trade issues. But current developments in the region were also discussed, especially the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is important that the Kingdom wins China to its side when the Middle East issues are discussed at the UN Security Council. So far, stands of these countries are almost identical regarding major world issues. But the Saudi delegation has availed of this opportunity to clarify the Saudi policy regarding war in Yemen and the Iranian government’s policy to destabilize the region. This is what Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said during his press conferences.
His visit to Japan reached climax Thursday when the deputy crown prince met with Japanese Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan have experienced a quantum leap and are growing steadily in all spheres of life including economy, culture, military, education and health fields. Japan imports around 30 percent of its oil from the Kingdom. But energy is not the only sector in which the two countries can forge ties. In fact, Japan wants to contribute to the strategy in a variety of fields, including manufacturing, small and medium-size enterprises, human resources, culture and sports.