‍The death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi continues to send shockwaves throughout the world. Saudi officials have finally confirmed Khashoggi was killed inside their consulate in Istanbul. 

The incident has sparked outrage and calls for an international investigation. However, US officials have been cautious not to put blame on any Saudi official yet.

US President Donald Trump has gone from supporting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to calling the Saudi account of Khashoggi's death incomplete, and wavering between threatening "severe punishment" and not wanting to hurt jobs. 

Earlier we sat down with Li Guofu in a studio interview, who is the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the China Institute of International Studies. He shared his opinions on how Khashoggi's death will change US-Saudi ties.

Li said the incident causes a dilemma for President Trump. For one thing, Trump and his family have forged close relations with Saudi, especially with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

For another, as mid-term elections are approaching, Trump faces pressure both at home and from the international community regarding the violation of human rights if the Saudi government was proved to be behind Khashoggi's death.

When it comes to the US and Saudi relations, there's a lot at stake. For the US, Saudi Arabia is a key strategic partner when it comes to global security concerns, in particular with Iran. "Saudi Arabia is important not only for America but also for American allies in the region," said Li. 

He believes the strategic relations between the US and Saudi Arabia might be affected for a short time, but will not change in the long-run.

US officials - especially President Trump - have emphasized that Saudi Arabia is a significant strategically. Trump has stated the US has arms and trade deals worth billions of dollars with Saudis and that cutting ties with them could cost America hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Trump said, "No, I am not satisfied until we find the answer but it was a big first step. It was a good first step but I want to get to the answer. With all of that being said we have 450 billion US dollars, 110 billion of which is a military order. But this is equipment and various things ordered from Saudi Arabia. 450 billion dollars. I think it's over a million jobs. That's not helpful for us to cancel an order like that. "

On October 2, Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He never came out. The Saudi royal family and in particular Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had claimed they had no knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, despite reports from Turkey saying that he was murdered. More than two weeks after his disappearance, Saudi officials now admit he was killed inside the building that day after a fight with some people. 

18 Saudis have been arrested and five top officials fired, with no mention of Mohammad Bin Salman's involvement.

Turkish officials have been conducting their own investigation into Khashoggi's death including searches within the consulate. There are still many questions to be answered by Saudis including what happened to Khashoggi's body. 

Once the investigation is complete, Turkish and US officials may face some tough decisions regarding what kind of actions to be taken against the Saudi government, if there will be any.

(If you want to contribute and have a specific expertise, contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)