Other countries are also taking part in the "Security Bond-2023" exercises [15-19 Mar], the ministry said without giving details. Iran, Pakistan, Oman[,] and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] all have coastline along the waterbody l[a]ying at the mouth of the strategic Persian Gulf.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that the White House was not concerned by the joint training exercise. Kirby said the U.S. and other nations conduct training exercises all the time and this won't be the first time that the Russians and Chinese have trained together.

"We're going to watch it, we'll monitor it, obviously, to make sure that there's no threat resulting from this training exercise to our national security interests or those of our allies and partners in the region," Kirby said on CNN. "But nations train. We do it all the time. We'll watch it as best we can."
[...]
While the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have long-standing military and political ties [!], relations have frayed over the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom's leadership, and cuts in production by the OPEC+ oil cartel [!] that the administration said was helping Russia.

saudigazette | Prince Abdulaziz warns from imposing price cap on Saudi oil exports (14.03.23)
"He said: 'if a price cap were to be imposed on Saudi oil exports, we will not sell oil to any country that imposes a price cap on our supply.'"

China's hosting of the Iran-Saudi talks placed it in the unusual role of mediator in regional conflicts, one that Beijing appears to be keen to capitalize on under the rubric [sic] of President Xi Jinping's "Global Security Initiative." [23.02.23]

...A Kremlin statement said the two leaders would discuss cooperation in the political, trade and humanitarian spheres "as well as prospects for an overall settlement of the situation in and around Syria"....

[...]
At first glance, the first four clauses suggest that the Chinese-brokered deal is essentially a mending of diplomatic relations between the two longtime adversaries. But in fact, the fifth clause is far from the standard text inserted into joint statements between states.

Sources familiar with the negotiations have revealed to The Cradle that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not merely coat-tail a deal already underway between Tehran and Riyadh. Xi has, in fact, personally paved the way for this agreement to materialize. The Chinese head of state delved deep into its details since his visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2022, and then later, during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Beijing in mid-February 2023.
[...]
In short, regional and domestic security and stability are vital for Riyadh to be able to implement its strategic goals. As such, confidential clauses were inserted into the Beijing Agreement to assure Iran and Saudi Arabia that their security imperatives would be met. Some of these details were provided to The Cradle, courtesy of a source involved in the negotiations
[...]
On a slightly separate note related to regional security -- but not part of the Beijing Agreement -- sources involved in negotiations confirmed to The Cradle that, during talks, the Saudi delegation stressed Riyadh's commitment to the 2002 Arab peace initiative; refusing normalization with Tel Aviv before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital.

What is perhaps most remarkable, and illustrates the determination by the parties to strike a deal without the influence of spoilers, is that Iranian and Saudi intelligence delegations met in the Chinese capital for five days without Israeli intel being aware of the fact. It is perhaps yet another testament that China -- unlike the US -- understands how to get a deal done in these shifting times.