Beijing promotes a new development paradigm
China is deepening its relations with the countries of the Middle East
Mohammed bin Zayed was keen to consolidate relations with China to an unprecedented strategic level.
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Al-Sisi visited China 6 times, and he visited America only twice.
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Wang Yi with Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif after the signing of the strategic agreement a few weeks ago.
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Since the arrival of the US President Joe Biden's administration to the White House, talk about China has been repeated in many statements, which represents a continuation of the previous administration’s policy that opened an explicit front for economic warfare with Beijing, in what some considered a bone-breaking battle between the two largest powers in the world.
In light of this fierce competition, every force is pressing to impose its influence on several fronts to obtain the largest number of points, and this is evident in the Middle East region in particular.
Political analyst Judith Bergman said in a report published by the US Gatestone Institute that after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent tour in the Middle East that lasted nearly a week, there is no doubt that China is actively seeking to expand its influence in the region, not only economically, but Also, militarily, diplomatically, and politically, it is fiercely challenging the long-standing role of the United States as the dominant power in the region.
The influence has been growing for years
China's influence in the Middle East has been increasing for years, especially through the "Belt and Road" initiative, which is a huge global infrastructure and economic development project launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It seems that its goal is to build an economic network and infrastructure linking Asia with Europe and Africa, And beyond that.
This massive development and investment initiative greatly seeks to bolster China's global influence from East Asia to Europe, by making countries around the world increasingly dependent on China.
"From the strategic point of view, the Belt and Road initiative reveals how China is seeking to bring down the Western American hegemony in the (Middle East) region peacefully," said Dr. Mordechai Shazes, author of the book "China’s Diplomacy in the Middle East."
He added, "The relationship between the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategic partnerships it creates in the region allows it to gradually take control of the region without creating tensions with the United States or the West."
In other words, the initiative is an advanced Chinese plan to transfer hegemony from the West and the United States to China, without war or conflict. ”
"China has signed documents on cooperation within the Belt and Road with 19 countries in the Middle East, and has achieved distinguished cooperation with each of them," Wang told Al-Arabiya TV during his visit to Saudi Arabia, one of the six countries he visited on his tour.
He added, “At a time when China promotes a new development model, it is ready to share market opportunities with Middle Eastern countries, work with Arab countries to actively prepare for the Arab summit with China, promote high-quality cooperation (within the Belt and Road Initiative), and expand new areas for growth. », Such as high and new technologies».
The other countries that Wang visited are Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain.
The biggest business partner
China is already the largest trading partner of most countries in the region, including some of its main partners: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia was the largest supplier of crude oil to China in 2020, beating Russia.
China has made "comprehensive strategic partnerships" with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as Iran now, by signing a 25-year comprehensive strategic agreement on economic and security cooperation with Tehran.
It was also reported that the agreement includes expanding the scope of military assistance, training and exchange of intelligence information.
Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China is also the largest foreign investor in the region, building infrastructure worth billions of dollars.
Although Egypt was not part of Wang's travel itinerary, it is also an important part of China's Belt and Road initiative, according to Judith Bergman.
According to John Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, “In the past five years, with the increasing interest of China in crossing the Suez Canal, China has invested billions of dollars in Egypt.
Chinese companies are helping to build Egypt's new administrative capital in the desert outside Cairo, and are developing a port on the Red Sea and an industrial zone in Ain Sokhna.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has made at least six trips to Beijing since taking office in 2014, compared to only two trips to Washington.
Common denominators
Judith Bergman says that at first glance, some leaders in the Middle East might view China as a perfect fit to dominate their region, which, along with Israel, is made up of countries that share China’s views on state sovereignty, non-interference and human rights.
"China and the countries agreed on the necessity of respecting the sovereign independence and national dignity of all countries, and promoting independent and diversified means of development," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi in summarizing his trip.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency (Xinhua), Wang explained that it was agreed to "oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries and slander other countries under the guise of human rights, and to protect the international system so that the United Nations is the core of the international order based on international law, international pluralism, fairness and justice." .
Deepening China's relations with Middle Eastern countries outside the scope of trade should worry the United States, especially since the administration of US President Joe Biden has recently taken steps to reduce interest in the region, thus opening the door to Chinese hegemony.
"If you were to classify the areas that Biden considers a priority, the Middle East is not in the top three," a former senior national security official and advisor close to Biden told Politico.
“It is the Asia Pacific region, then Europe, and then the Western Hemisphere,” he added.
This reflects a bipartisan consensus that the issues that require our attention have changed with the return of competition between the great powers (with China and Russia). ”
With China competing for more international influence to become the world's largest power by 2049, militarily, economically, technologically, and politically, the Middle East is likely to become decisive, whether or not the United States prioritizes it.
- Deepening China's relations with the countries of the Middle East outside the scope of trade should worry America, especially since Joe Biden's administration has taken steps to reduce interest in the region.
During the past five years, with the increasing interest of China in crossing the Suez Canal, China invested billions of dollars in Egypt.
With China competing for more international influence to become the world's largest power by 2049, militarily, economically, technologically and politically, the Middle East is likely to become decisive, whether or not the United States prioritizes it.
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