Doing More in The Middle East

By+An+Gang

The international community once de- scribed Chinas Middle East diplomatic policy using phrases such as “moderation，” “detachment，” or “lack of imagination.”But as its status as a global player grows， China is no longer merely a distant observer of events in the volatile region.

Active involvement

On January 20， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward a five-point proposal in Beijing on politically solving the ongoing Syrian crisis. He suggested that the opposing sides in the war-torn country should find agreements on specific arrangements and a practical timeframe for the countrys political transition as soon as possible and establish a transitional governing body based on mutual consent. Wang went to Switzerlands Monteux for the Geneva II Conference on Syria the following day. Representatives from 40 countries and regions reached three points of consensus on supporting a political resolution at the conference， solidly reflecting Chinas proposition.

On February 6， Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Sochi and participated in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. During his visit， Xi and Putin held a video chat with captains of Chinese and Russian na- val vessels escorting the shipments of Syrian chemical weapons， encouraging crew members onboard the vessels to contribute to the international mission to safely destroy them.

China， Russia， Denmark and Norway have been jointly participating in the escort of shipping Syrian chemical weapons since the end of 2013 to implement the resolutions on destroying chemical weapons in Syria of the UN Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In addition， China has provided six shipments of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan， Turkey and Lebanon.

China has few direct interests in Syria. Bilateral trade volume stands at only about$2 billion annually. Unlike in other Middle East countries， Chinese enterprises have a limited amount of investment， engineering contracts and labor cooperation in Syria. Nor has China imported crude oil from Syria.

China has acted as a diplomatic lube， entering the Iranian nuclear issue as well as being a constructive participant in the “6+1” conference， which involves the five permanent members of the UN Security Council， Germany and Iran. China was the first to suggest that the West cancel new sanctions against Iran. Moreover， they should now find a phased agreement to establish mutual trust， so as to pave the way for a complete agreement.endprint

On November 24， 2013， relevant parties conducted active consultation based on Chinas proposal， and reached an initial agreement in Geneva. A month and a half later， they reached consensus on implementing the agreement， and Iran started to freeze part of its nuclear plan in exchange for relaxed sanctions from the West.

China， which has historically remained on the outskirts of the Palestine-Israel issue， has displayed interest in playing a bigger role in the region. Last May， it welcomed Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during nearly the same period of time. President Xi appealed with four suggestions when meeting with them， and stressed establishing an independent Palestinian state and realizing peaceful coexistence between the two nations. He also called on the two parties to push forward a peace process based on the principle of“land for peace，” while requiring more support from the international community.

Foreign Minister Wang paid his first visit to the Middle East in December 2013 to implement Xis proposals. Before his visit， he communicated with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a call. When meeting with Abbas and Netanyahu， Wang promised that China would engage in more political functions in the region. He added that China would be willing to participate in the Middle East Quartet if China were to be invited.

The quartet formed by the United States， the UN， Russia and the European Union （EU） was founded in 2002 to coordinate conflict resolution between Israel and Palestine after the Second Intifada—a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation—broke out. At that time， U.S. President George W. Bush was enthusiastically pursuing unilateralism and building a “Greater Middle East.”

Regional interests

Chinas major interests in the Middle East include protecting a steady energy supply from the region and energy transportation security， preventing extremism and terrorism， resisting neo-interventionism and gunboat diplomacy， and strengthening coordination and collaboration with other big powers like the United States， Russia and the EU.

Chinas economic interests—especially its energy interests—in the Middle East have increased rapidly. China now is the biggest energy consumer in the world， with an annual crude oil import of 300 million tons. Its external dependence on oil is as high as 60 percent. While the United States is getting closer to its goal of cutting down its oil import from the Middle East to 16 percent of its total oil import by 2025， Chinas oil import from the region has mounted to over half of its total. In recent years， its biggest oil exporter has been either Saudi Arabia or Iran. Although Beijing doesnt want to put all its eggs into one basket， it is still difficult to get rid of its over-reliance on oil from the Middle East in the short term.endprint

China has become a major trade and investment partner and project contractor in the Middle East. Trade between China and the Middle East in 2013 stood at nearly $300 billion， and their trade volume in 2020 is expected to exceed $500 billion. Contract volume between China and Middle East countries has accumulated to $120 billion in recent years， while China has directly invested over $10 billion in the region. Chinese enterprises are outstanding in the field of infrastructure construction.

The new leadership of China has proposed two concepts—the Silk Road Economic Belt spanning the Eurasian Continent and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road linking the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean—so as to expand its diplomatic strategic layout. The point of juncture between the two concepts is the Middle East.

China is highly reliant on a stable energy supply and a prosperous market in the Middle East， which makes regional peace significant to Chinas interests. Wang stressed to Al Jazeera that it is true China has paid more attention to economic cooperation with Arab nations because it has always believed development holds the key to solving all problems.

Big power coordination

China and Russia have jointly vetoed UN Security Council motions for military intervention to realize regime change in Syria. Moreover， China adheres to its stance of opposing military strikes against Iran. In the meantime， it has actively come up with its own blueprints to solve Middle East issues by advancing dialogue and negotiation.

China has been implementing impartial diplomacy in the region to make friends instead of foes. It maintains good relations with Arab nations， Israel， Iran and Syria， which makes China a special mediator to promote peace in the Middle East.

Russia is Chinas biggest partner in dealing with Middle East issues. They have kept a common stance regarding the Syrian crisis， wherein Russias proposal of “chemical weapons for peace” won high praise in China， making the latter rethink its diplomatic approach.

Washingtons Middle East strategy adjustment has helped expand Chinas role in the Middle East. The United States has become exhausted after overstretching its power for years. The Barack Obama administration now prefers to solve the Iran and Syria issues through diplomacy rather than be dragged into the morass of another war. Obama， now halfway through his second term， is also hurrying to mediate between Israel and Palestine to reach a framework agreement that intends to realize lasting peace， so as to leave some diplomatic legacy.endprint

Washington needs the help of China， which it does not consider as a strong strategic competitor in the Middle East. China and the United States are opening new channels to coordinate and cooperate on Middle East issues. In 2011， they founded a Middle East consultation mechanism. Also， if China is included in the Middle East Quartet， it is expected to become the new backbone of bilateral cooperation on Middle East issues. China and the United States have maintained practical cooperation on the Iranian nuclear issue as well.

Putting differences aside， a new era is arriving in which the four major powers of the United States， Russia， the EU and China will drive geopolitical changes in the Middle East. In such an era， the prospects for peace are stronger. Many Chinese observers believe that Washington wishes to draw back its antenna to support its “pivot to Asia” policy intended to cope with Chinas rise. Mutual distrust between China and the United States can be traced in their cooperation in the Middle East. The only way to diminish their distrust is to conduct greater cooperation that can create more peace in the region.endprint