China-Middle East relations

This handout picture provided by the Iranian foreign ministry shows Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) shaking hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (right) and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (centre) during a meeting in Beijing on 6 April 2023. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/AFP)

China's Saudi-Iran deal only a defensive response to Western security challenges

Academic Ma Haiyun explains how the Saudi-Iran detente is the experiment and application of China’s GSI with a focus on national and regime security, when Saudi Arabia, Iran and China have been facing increasing security challenges from the US and the West.
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.
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.
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.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Jiangsu, 10 January 2022. (Xinhua)

Chinese academic: Beijing does not want China to replace the US in the Middle East

While it is a fact that China and countries in the Middle East region enjoy closer ties, China is still far behind the US in terms of its regional influence. At the same time, the countries are also more attracted to the US and European powerhouses than China. Thus, it would be unwise to overthink the recent slew of visits to Beijing by foreign ministers of countries in the Middle East region.
People walk on the pedestrian bridge at the Bluewaters Island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8 December 2021. (Satish Kumar/Reuters)

US-China competition in the UAE: A tussle in the desert

Unlike the Soviet Union, China has an arsenal of economic tools at its disposal in wooing US allies. This is plainly seen in the UAE-China relationship, in which bilateral trade in 2021 was more than double that of UAE-US trade for the same period. Security and defence ties are also strengthening. As dictated by the laws of the free market, the one who offers the best deal wins. As such, the US will have to do better than just rely on coercive tactics.
A handout picture made available by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 August 2021, shows a young Afghan refugee at the Iran-Afghanistan border between Afghanistan and the southeastern Iranian Sistan and Baluchestan province, as people fleeing AFghanistan try to enter the Islamic republic following the takeover of their country by the Taliban earlier this week. (Mohammad Javadzadeh/Iranian Red Crescent/AFP)

What China wants to see under a Taliban-led Afghanistan

Chinese academic Fan Hongda says that following the US troop pullout of Afghanistan, the Taliban have much to do to convince the international community that they can lead the country, and that they can rebuild Afghanistan. Will Taliban rule be any different this time round as compared to 20 years ago? How would China react to the new ruling power in Afghanistan?