The strengthening ties between China and the Middle East Middle East Institute (original) (raw)
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China between Iran and the Gulf Monarchies
Middle East Policy, 2021
China's deepening ties to Iran, evident in the comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) signed in 2021 after five years of stalled progress, is not an indication of a revisionist Chinese approach to the Gulf region. In fact, its CSPs with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, already activated and implemented, are at far more mature levels, commensurate with China's deep levels of economic and political engagement with the Arab side of the Gulf. This is consistent with a strategic hedging approach that Beijing has used to build a sustainable presence without disrupting a competitive and fragile regional order. With far larger and more diverse interests in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, China's partnership with Iran creates leverage due to the asymmetry inherent in the China-Iran relationship. In an intensely competitive regional order like the Gulf, the prevailing assumption is that extraregional powers with deep interests cannot sit on the fence indefinitely. Eventually they will have to pick a side. This thinking has long featured in analysis of China's relations with Gulf countries and continues to confound those who anticipate its adopting a more conventional approach. However, Beijing's engagement with both Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is a strategic opportunity made available by US security commitments to the Gulf monarchies, and as long as that remains the case we can expect China to continue straddling both sides of the Gulf. It does not imply neutrality, however. China's regional interests favor the Arab side, and its preference for the status quo provides opportunities for policy coordination with Beijing for both the United States and the GCC countries. This point has become more important since the summer of 2020, when a leaked document supposedly provided details of what some interpreted as the end of China's fence-sitting: a 25-year partnership agreement with Iran that included ambitious targets for cooperation in the
China-Iran Relations: Prospects and Complexities
Policy Perspectives, 2020
China-Iran relations have steadily evolved and expanded in the domains of geopolitics, economics and diplomacy since the Iranian revolution. Presently, being increasingly isolated from the world under Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign, Iran has been further drawn towards China, which, in the long term, can significantly alter the existing regional security architecture of the Persian Gulf. The recent agreements and partnership between the two countries, which is reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as the draft 25-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) will pave the way for a long term strategic cooperation between the two countries. In this context, the paper analyzes various factors that have systemically fostered friendly ties between the two countries. The paper also explores historical and contemporary trends that can impact the future of bilateral relations. Further, it evaluates the economic relations between the two countries outlining t...
The Barriers to China-Iran Military Diplomacy
The Diplomat, 2021
There was a time when the title "the largest developing country in the world" meant only that China's capabilities were surpassing those of its counterparts. Today, it means that China ranks second, only after the United States, in terms of power. This March, Yang Jiechi, a senior Chinese diplomat, warned U.S. officials about China's new position in the international during a meeting in Alaska, saying that "the United States does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength." The Islamic Republic of Iran considers China's self-confidence and significant economic and military advances a sign of relative decline in the United States' global domination. This is in line with Iran's perspective that the right form of distribution of power in the world is a multipolar system. https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/the-barriers-to-china-iran-military-diplomacy/
United World, 2019
Turkey and China are attracting attention due to their political past and their recent actions in the economic sphere. Emre Demir, a senior researcher at the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the TED University (Turkish Educational Association) commented on the current situation in Turkish-Chinese relations after President Erdogan's recent visit to China. Demir, who works as a guest expert at Peking University under a grant from the Council on Science and Technology of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), is a policy expert on East Asia, China and Chinese foreign policy. RELATIONSHIP DEMONSTRATES POSITIVE DYNAMICS President Erdogan, after attending the G20 summit in Japan, paid a visit to China, where he met with the President of the PRC and the Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping. This was the second meeting between the Turkish and Chinese leaders within a month, following talks on June 15 in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, at a conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. These meetings are of crucial importance, and represent a positive turn in Sino-Turkish relations which began in 2016.
China's New Position on the Middle East
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: China has taken several actions relating to the Middle East since the beginning of 2016 that suggest a new approach to the region. The Chinese president visited the Middle East, a new law was passed permitting China to be involved in military action beyond its own borders, and a new Chinese forum was established to promote peace in the region. These actions represent a departure from the traditional Chinese stance of " non-interference " and reflect a change in China's perception of the region.
Developments in China-Turkey Relations: A View From China
Turkey's attempted military coup on 15 July 2016 provided an opportunity for China and Turkey to improve cooperative relations. After the military coup, Turkey experienced a severe internal political crisis. Structural contradiction with traditional Western allies forced Turkey to reconsider its allegiances and political positions. Several high-level Chinese delegations to Turkey played an important role in improving Turkey's political stability, economic development and national security. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's re-election as president of Turkey, the strategic coordination between Turkey and China's Belt and Road Initiative and Turkey's Middle Corridor project all accelerated and promoted China-Turkey relations. This is a golden opportunity for China and Turkey to build the strategic cooperation relations that began in 2010. If Turkey can accommodate the core interests of and establish political ties with China, further cooperation between the two countries will not only benefit both, but also have a great impact on regional stability and global governance.
China’s Relations with the Middle East: A Perspective from the Region
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