Saudi Arabia Brokers Secretive ‘Board of Peace framework with China
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — January 11, 2026
The geopolitical architecture of the Middle East has undergone a quiet but profound transformation today, Sunday, January 11, 2026. While the world’s attention has been fixed on active battlefronts, a series of high-level, secretive meetings in Riyadh has culminated in what diplomats are calling the “Board of Peace” framework.
This initiative, brokered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in coordination with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seeks to insulate the Kingdom’s “Vision 2030” infrastructure—specifically the New Silk Road nodes—from regional escalations.
By positioning Riyadh as the “indispensable mediator,” the Kingdom is effectively decoupling its economic future from the traditional security dependencies of the past.
Headline Points:
Secretive “Board of Peace”:
A new diplomatic mechanism involving Saudi Arabia, China, and Iran has been activated to ensure the security of maritime and terrestrial trade routes.
BRI 2.0 Integration:
Saudi Arabia has officially integrated the “Saudi Landbridge” rail project into China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), securing $7.2 billion in new construction contracts this week.
The IMEC Counter-Hedge:
Despite the focus on the East, Riyadh continues to develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), playing both sides to maximize its role as a global transit hub.
Aramco’s China Expansion:
Saudi Aramco has finalized an $11.9 billion fine chemicals project in Liaoning, China, marking the Kingdom’s largest-ever investment in the Chinese mainland.
Digital Silk Road Activation:
Over 600 Chinese tech companies have now established regional headquarters in Riyadh, focusing on AI and blockchain for smart city governance.
The “New Silk Road” is no longer just a series of ports and railways; it has become a diplomatic shield.
In the early hours of January 11, exclusive reports from our sources in Riyadh indicate that the Kingdom has leveraged its massive investments in Chinese refining capacity to gain Beijing’s guarantee of “non-interference” and protection for the Red Sea maritime lanes.
This “Board of Peace” serves as a trilateral hotline between Riyadh, Beijing, and Tehran, designed to prevent miscalculations from disrupting the flow of energy and goods that are vital to the survival of all three economies.
The Saudi strategy is a masterclass By refusing to choose between the U.S.-backed IMEC and China’s BRI, the Kingdom has made itself the central, unavoidable node of the 21st-century economy.
The “Saudi Landbridge”—a massive rail network connecting the Gulf coast to the Red Sea—is the physical manifestation of this policy.
It allows goods to bypass the volatile Bab al-Mandeb strait entirely, offering a land-based alternative that is increasingly attractive to global insurers and shipping giants.
From the perspective of Castle Journal, Riyadh is redefining what it means to be a regional power. The Kingdom is moving away from a purely oil-dependent nation and is asserting a new identity as a global logistics and diplomatic titan.
The “Board of Peace” is a pragmatic recognition that in a multi-polar world, security is not provided by a single superpower’s umbrella, but by a web of interlocking economic interests.
The secret reports from our CJ exclusive department suggest that the next phase of this “Silk Road Diplomacy” will involve the formal conclusion of the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement, which has seen renewed momentum this week.
If successful, this would create a duty-free zone that could challenge the economic dominance of both the European Union and the United States in the Indian Ocean.
For the world leadership, the message from Riyadh is clear: the road to the future no longer runs through the old centers of power, but through the newly paved tracks of the desert.
