Middle East

A person with an umbrella walks past a homeless person at Times Square during a rainy day on 19 January 2023 in New York City, US. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

Can the US afford a war with China?

The US’s propensity for spending more than it has has landed it in a US$31 trillion debt. Furthermore, the US’s actions against Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and China have weakened US dollar hegemony. US academic Han Dongping remarks that perhaps the US needs to focus on itself before it begins its sabre-rattling over issues such as the Taiwan Strait crisis.
Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission attends a meeting with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban in Beijing, China, 10 March 2023. (China Daily via Reuters)

Differences between the US and China in Middle East peace advocacy

China’s success in mediating peace between long-term rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has highlighted the major power’s role as a key player in security in the Middle East. While some international media take it as a sign of China’s ambitions, academic Fan Hongda feels that the peace deal has addressed a common need for all parties, and China has its own way of promoting peace in the region.
Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban pose for pictures during a meeting in Beijing, China, 10 March 2023. (China Daily via Reuters)

Saudi-Iran deal: Diplomacy with Chinese characteristics gaining ground

By forging Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement based on the message that economic development goes hand in hand with security stabilisation, China has just strengthened its image as an alternative to the West in the global south.
A screen shows Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking during the closing session of the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 13 March 2023. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

China's entry into the Middle East: Beginning of China-US full-scale confrontation

A clear theme throughout China’s Two Sessions this year has been its resistance to the US’s attempts at suppression and containment. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong notes that while China’s rhetoric against the US has gotten stronger, it has actively shown itself to be a major global player, even in the Middle East.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 7 December 2022. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Not just the economy: China's growing cyberspace influence in the Middle East

While China-Middle East cooperation is predicated on strong energy cooperation, other facets will come to the fore as regional geopolitical balancing intensifies. Technology transfer and imparting values for cyberspace are just a few key influences that China hopes to assert in the region. However, an imperative remains that the Gulf looks to the West for its security needs.
This handout picture released by the Saudi Press Agency SPA shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the China-Arab Summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on 9 December 2022. (SPA/AFP)

Symbiosis: China the leading customer and Saudi Arabia the vital oil supplier

Energy security and ensuring that oil and gas retain a significant share of the global energy mix for some time to come are strong ties that bind China-Saudi Arabia relations. Coupled with collaborative opportunities in growth areas such as renewable energy and electricity generation, their partnership seems to be going from strength to strength.
Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Lim Jock Hoi pose for pictures before a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, 27 October 2022. (Galih Pradipta/Pool via Reuters)

George Yeo: ASEAN’s advantage in an emerging multipolar world

Delivering the keynote address of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Regional Outlook Forum 2023, Singapore’s former Foreign Minister George Yeo spoke about the ways that ASEAN’s weakness is also a strength in the transition to a multipolar world.
People wearing face masks pose for photos with a Chinese national flag at a park in Shanghai, China, 12 December 2022. (Aly Song/Reuters)

US allies want good relations with China too

US academic Zhu Zhiqun notes that the US is still trying to exert pressure on its allies to follow its moves to suppress China. However, China is the largest trading partner of over 120 countries. These countries will never forsake their cooperation with China to accommodate the US. In fact, the trend of countries actively developing economic and trade relations with China while maintaining a security partnership with the US looks set to stay.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 8 December 2022. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Xi's Saudi visit: Middle powers uniting in a hierarchical world

Amid the US-West realignment, developing countries and middle powers have strengthened mutual cooperation via high-level diplomacy. China’s deepening relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world as seen by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent high-profile visit to Riyadh is a key sign of this development.