China's role in Middle East security

China's influence on Middle East security is an aspect that has so far been little studied, although it is fundamental to understanding the functioning and dynamics of the international system. The Asian giant, which has been changing its foreign policy as its economy has grown in order to become more assertive, nevertheless maintains a relatively low profile in relation to the Middle East, despite the fact that it is a crucial region both as a transit point and for hydrocarbon exports. China's strategy in the Middle East is, in any case, a long-term bet that is not always easy to implement, since there are certain events in which its way of proceeding can cost it credibility, such as the Houthi issue, or the fact that it does not have sufficient capacity to influence certain key actors in the region, such as Iran.

Table of Contents

• The Middle East in the Chinese conception: great periphery.
• China after October 7th
• China in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations
• Other mediation roles: Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen.
• From the diplomatic to the military.
• Conclusions.

Introduction

Since 2012, China's weight and role in the international system have grown significantly compared to previous decades. The economic development that the country has experienced since the beginning of the century has been accompanied by greater involvement in politics and security at the international level, in line with its new role as a superpower.

Since coming to power, Xi Jinping has sought to pursue a much more assertive foreign policy, with greater involvement in claiming the place in the system that corresponds to its economic status. In contrast to the doctrine of China's peaceful rise, which relied on the country's growth while maintaining a low profile, since the middle of the last decade the country's profile has been evolving towards a more active, and even aggressive, evidenced by the "diplomacy of the wolf warriors", betting on confrontation and the rejection of international criticism of the country.

The Asian giant has focused its model on negotiation, economic investment and strong and determined diplomacy. And as a major power in the system, it also focuses on security issues, not only within its borders, but also outside of them.

The issue of China's presence in Southeast Asia has been much discussed for obvious reasons, with territorial claims in the South China Sea and the famous construction of artificial islands, the Taiwan issue, among many other issues. It is central because it is the territory closest to the country's borders, but China's conception of security means that its attention is not limited to the area closest to its own territory, but extends to other latitudes.

China's influence in the Middle East region This is something that is much less analysed, but it is still important. Traditionally, relations between the two poles have focused on economic and commercial issues, and not as something homogeneous with all the countries in the region. However, since Xi Jinping came to power, relations with the region have grown significantly.

A few months ago I was analyzing in this focus the issue of the absence of an active presence in the crisis triggered after October 7, 2023 between Israel and Hamas (along with Iran and Hezbollah), in which we pointed out that China preferred to act carefully and in a measured way to present itself as a provider of peace and not of problems. At the end of July 2024, we have seen a reconciliation (at least temporary) between Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions with a view to organizing a unity government to confront Israel, in a meeting held in Beijing precisely. This reveals a greater involvement of China in the resolution of the conflict aimed at the two-state solution, and highlights once again the modus operandi China's role in working towards regional security and stability. In this article we will analyze the issue of how the Asian giant has become involved in the region, and we will do so mainly from a diplomatic perspective, but also from an approach based on cooperation and military support to different regional actors.

The Middle East in the Chinese conception: great periphery

In terms of international security, China's action and conception of it has been reflected mainly in the launch of the Global Security Initiative (Global Security Initiative (in English) proposed in April 2022 by Xi Jinping, and conceptualized in a document of the year 2023This proposal includes a comprehensive and global perspective on security in the face of threats that the world has faced in recent times, such as COVID, local conflicts, terrorism, among others.

This is a holistic approach to international security aimed at acting at the root of international conflicts, and understanding security in traditional and non-traditional domains, such as trade or investment in infrastructure, something that China has been placing great emphasis on in its foreign policy since the last decade, which we see reflected in the Silk Road initiative, for example.

This maintenance of holistic security is intended to be achieved by emphasizing cooperation between states, respect for the sovereignty and integrity of all countries (something closely related to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states that China has been promoting as a counterpart to the traditional foreign policies followed by the main powers of the system in the last century, such as the USA or the USSR). The holistic conception of security comes to affirm that any element beyond those traditionally related to security, such as armed conflicts, is related to and affects the nuclear interests of the same, such as migration, trade, or climate change, as some examples.

This claim to promote international peace and security through cooperation and the peaceful resolution of conflicts through negotiation is an element that is eminently related to the Chinese conception of the international system. The comprehensive conception of security is understood as part of China's comprehensive strategy that focuses on the year 2049 to achieve not only the reunification of the country (with the Taiwan issue), but also to become the "empire of the center", giving rise to a Sinocentric international system identified as tianxia (“everything under heaven”). 

The conceptualization and adaptation of this concept to today's world has been addressed by different authors, such as Zhao Tingyang, recovering an idea of ​​a system present during the Zhou dynasty, more than 2000 years ago. This is characterized by being a system in which the kingdom was located in the center, and the rest of the states were constituted in a sort of vassal states not through military coercion, but through negotiation and cooperation between them. It is an idea that during the so-called "century of humiliation" of China during the XNUMXth century lost strength, as well as later with China's attempts to assimilate itself within the United Nations system, but which is gradually regaining strength when observing the modus operandi of the Asian giant in recent decades.

Within this international system with China at its centre, China perceives that all threats to security in its geographical environment are also threats to security in its own territory, which is related to the comprehensive concept of security. This leads China to become increasingly involved and play an active role in the territories close to its borders, but going ever further afield.

In this context, China's greater involvement in the Middle East region is understood. Hernández (2023) points out that today the relations between both poles are in a phase of responsibility due to the growing commercial, diplomatic and economic relations, many of them focused on the area of ​​security. China's growing interest in the region has been linked to the greater prominence of the holistic conception of security, understanding that a security problem of any kind in the area would ultimately imply a problem for the country itself, due to its position as a "great periphery" of China.

Since the middle of the last decade, this cooperation has been understood mainly in geopolitical terms, given that the region is China's main supplier of oil and coal, resources that are still of central importance to the Asian giant's industry. However, although this remains an important element in the relations between the two countries, today China is much more involved in regional security than it was a decade ago, and even more so than other major powers in the system.

This can be seen in China's 2016 Arab Policy document, which states that the country's main interest in the region is to maintain stability without pursuing geopolitical interests. This may be debatable, but there is no doubt that the Asian giant is very interested in maintaining a stability that allows it to secure its economic interests on the one hand, and at the same time establish itself as a provider of peace, as opposed to the role that other powers in the system such as the US play in the region, which is more about creating conflicts than solving them. It is a way of achieving a sort of double objective, thus attracting the majority of countries in the area to its sphere of influence.

It is therefore important to analyse how China has played its role as a provider of peace and a conflict-resolver, focusing on the main tensions that have emerged in the region in recent times, and how it has done so from both a diplomatic and military perspective.

China after October 7th

Hamas's attacks on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023 triggered a strong response from Netanyahu's camp, bringing the situation of the Israel-Palestine conflict to one of its most tense points in recent decades. It is a conflict that has not been foreign to China, and in which it has traditionally defended the position of the two-state solution, offering its support to the Palestinian people. support for the PLO since the 60s, as well as recognizing Israel since 1992.

However, in the months following the crisis and the increase in tension between Israel and Iran, China's position has been to maintain a low profile, betting on negotiations to resolve the conflict, although without acquiring a leading role in line with its position as a world power. This has generated much criticism of the Asian country, but this way of proceeding is in line with its conception of security and with the role it intends to play on the international stage.

The support and good relations between Beijing and Tehran are well known. Despite being an asymmetric relationship due to the greater importance that China has for Iran, they remain stable to prevent the latter from being isolated and becoming a disruptive factor in the region. However, it is important to bear in mind that the Asian giant's relations with Tel Aviv are especially important in the economic field. Israel is one of the world's largest powers in technology and the arms industry, which has not gone unnoticed by the People's Republic, which has established companies and investments in the country, and has also benefited from technological advances contributed by Israeli companies to implement them in security matters in its own territory.

Regarding Chinese investment in Israel, this has grown from 20 million dollars to more than 200 million in a matter of 20 years, between 2002 and 2022. In addition, it is especially important in the technological section, with investments in Israeli software and semiconductors, and investing in the field of health sciences in the country. Israel's largest exports to China in 2022 were electrical and electronic equipment worth 1.780 billion dollars; optical, photographic and technical equipment for 1.290 billion dollars, and also nuclear reactor equipment and machinery. On the other hand, from China to Israel, the export of mainly electrical equipment and vehicles is noteworthy. In addition, several meetings between Netanyahu and Xi Jinping were planned for the end of 2023, as well as the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the two countries, which ultimately did not take place as a result of the increase in tensions in the region.

(Keep reading…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want access to the full text, you can subscribe to Ejércitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.