Possibilities and Perils of China’s Presence in the Middle East

In recent years, US policymakers have evinced intense anxiety about China’s presence in the Middle East. From a proposed US security guarantee for Saudi Arabia, to the attempted exclusion of advanced Chinese tech from the region to the ballyhooed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, fear of China has lurked in the background of US initiatives in the Middle East. Since the explosion of the Israel-Gaza conflict, those fears seem to have only deepened, with some leaders even reviving the “Axis of Evil” moniker to speak of China’s ties with Iran and Russia.
What are China’s interests and intentions in the Middle East? What are the prospects of Chinese diplomacy for advancing peace in Israel-Palestine or preventing a regional war? Are US efforts to contain or exclude Chinese influence prudent or misguided, and what are the possibilities for US-China cooperation in the region?
To explore these questions, the Quincy Institute held a discussion featuring Yu Jie, senior research fellow at Chatham House, William Figueroa, assistant professor at the University of Groningen, and Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute. Jake Werner, acting director of the East Asia program at the Quincy Institute, moderated.
Download the full webinar transcript here:
quincyinst.org/wp-content/upl...