This bodes poorly for America’s energy future.
Between Biden turning off our energy spigots and his ticking off our allies, we’re hosed.
Leaders from
Saudi Arabia
and
China
said on Friday that the two nations will strengthen cooperation on
energy
after the Islamic kingdom’s falling out with the United States.Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Chinese National Energy Administration Director Zhang Jianhua said during a teleconference that both countries are committed to stable long-term crude oil supplies, of which China is the world’s largest importer, according to a
report
from Reuters.The news comes as relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, long considered a key economic ally in the Middle East, are strained due to President Joe Biden
calling the nation
a “pariah” during the 2020 election cycle in response to the 2018
murder
of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of Saudi rulers. Democratic lawmakers have since
questioned
the wisdom of the United States’ continued alliance with the country.Saudi Arabia recently
moved
to restrict global petroleum output alongside other OPEC members, leading to a worldwide surge in oil prices. The Saudi government later revealed in a
statement
that Biden had requested for the kingdom to delay the production cut until after the upcoming midterm elections.During a visit to Saudi Arabia three months ago, Biden had touted the need to “ensure adequate supplies” of energy “to meet global needs.” Though he did not specifically mention oil supplies, many have
speculated
that encouraging higher output in response to elevated gas prices in the United States was a primary motivation for the visit.The news also comes as Saudi Arabia taps retired American generals to work as paid consultants, as revealed by a
report
from The Washington Post. China has likewise
hired
dozens of former British military pilots to train members of the nation’s air force.The Biden administration has meanwhile provoked criticism for
canceling
expansions to the Keystone XL pipeline and
slowing
federal oil leases to a crawl. Earlier this month, Biden reportedly began preparing to
ease sanctions
on Venezuela so that Chevron, an American oil company, could resume production in the socialist nation. Among other business leaders, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has
condemned
Biden for “going hat in hand” to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela rather than increasing domestic production.