‘Balanced vagueness’: has China’s Middle East engagement strategy reached its limits?
- Beijing’s reaction to the Gaza crisis and its focus on trade and investment are ‘ill-suited’ to a time of conflict, analysts say
Some criticised China for being self-serving in its engagement with the region, showing more interest in competing with the United States for influence. But a Chinese analyst defended Beijing, saying it has a consistent and “principled” approach.
Tuvia Gering, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, said China’s actions – including its lack of condemnation of the Hamas militant group since the October attack on Israel – served its own strategic interests.
“In my mind, you see a lot of self-interest because … China gains a lot more by taking the side of the Arab and Muslim world and the Global South,” Gering said. “This way, it serves the purpose of isolating the US globally and tarnishing its image and dividing the West from within.”
Similar views were raised earlier at a hearing by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in April.
Jonathan Fulton, an associate professor at Zayed University, told the committee that the Hamas attack has had “significant repercussions” for China’s approach to the region and “resulted in a more blatantly realpolitik” approach.
