China, which has been making inroads into all the Gulf states through its Belt and Road Initiative, has tentatively welcomed a multilateral security vision put forward by Russia for the region — while remaining cautious over becoming entangled in its notoriously complex politics. James Dorsey, a senior fellow at RSIS, and NUS’ Middle East Institute, said recent events that had “undermined the US defence umbrella” in the region made this an opportune time for Russia to be advancing its geopolitical ambitions and could serve to make its vision more appealing to China.