This article examines China's evolving role in the Middle East, focusing not only on its economic expansion but also on energy security and strategic diplomatic efforts. Through trade, infrastructure investments, and technological collaboration, China has deepened its influence in the region, while maintaining a policy of non-interference. China’s response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its competition with the U.S. are also vital factors in shaping its approach.  The article explores the challenges and opportunities China faces in balancing economic engagement with geopolitical pragmatism.

 

The contours of a different Middle East taking shape under a volatile global order are far from final. Yet recent years have witnessed a growing assertiveness on the part of countries like Russia and China. The interventions of these countries are usually less overt and more non-committal than those of their Western counterparts. But one would be amiss to ignore their symbolism: in what has been a rather unilateral post-Cold War region, new voices are heard and new possibilities are contemplated. It is with regard to China that Reardon-Anderson’s highly interesting edited book offers an almost encyclopaedic debate.

Experiencing a fast economic growth for approximately the past thirty years, China has in the last decade felt strong enough to play a much more active role compared to the recent past. Amid a debate regarding whether China will or will not be the next superpower challenging the US global hegemony, the Middle East is considered as among the first regions the potential Sino-American rivalry will take place. However, despite the truth such scenarios entail, reality is arguably more complex, especially in the now changing socio-political landscape of the Middle East.