Possibilities and Perils of China’s Presence in the Middle East

In recent years, US policymakers have evinced intense anxiety about China’s presence in the Middle East. From a proposed US security guarantee for Saudi Arabia, to the attempted exclusion of advanced Chinese tech from the region to the ballyhooed India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, fear of China has lurked in the background of US initiatives in the Middle East. Since the explosion of the Israel–Gaza conflict, those fears seem to have only deepened, with some leaders even reviving the “Axis of Evil” moniker to speak of China’s ties with Iran and Russia.

What are China’s interests and intentions in the Middle East? What are the prospects of Chinese diplomacy for advancing peace in Israel–Palestine or preventing a regional war? Are US efforts to contain or exclude Chinese influence prudent or misguided, and what are the possibilities for US–China cooperation in the region?
December 2023

18
10:00 AM EDT
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Join us for a timely and important discussion with:

Yu Jie

Dr Yu Jie is senior research fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, focusing on the decision-making process of Chinese foreign policy as well as China’s economic diplomacy. Yu Jie has testified on China’s foreign affairs at various UK Parliament committees. She was previously head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS.

William Figueroa

William Figueroa is an Assistant Professor of History and Theory of International Relations at University of Groningen, where he teaches and carries out research on China in the Middle East and Sino-Iranian relations. He was previously a Postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania Middle East Center, following his degree in history from the university.

Trita Parsi

Trita Parsi is executive vice president at the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Parsi is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign politics, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He is the co-founder and former President of the National Iranian American Council.

Jake Werner (Moderator) 

Jake Werner is the acting director of the East Asia program at the Quincy Institute. His research examines the emergence of great power conflict between the U.S. and China and develops policies to rebuild constructive economic relations. Prior to joining Quincy, Jake was a Postdoctoral Global China Research Fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center.
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