How China is increasing their influence in the Middle East

The oil-rich Middle East is one of the most important points in world politics due to its geographical location and valuable mineral resources. While the region has long had US influence, Chinese diplomacy has recently seen significant influence.

Important developments such as Saudi-Iranian relations and Syria's re-membership in the Arab League have occurred more recently. But where is the reality of China's influence in the Middle East? The question remains.

The main difficulty in comparing US and Chinese influence in the Middle East is that the two powers operate on completely different agendas. Westerners refer to the region as the Middle East, but to China it is known as West Asia.

China mainly uses this term to refer to important regions such as the Levant, Iraq, the Gulf, Turkey and Iran. The term 'Levant' originally refers to a large area in the eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia.

But will China be able to easily break the military and economic ring that America has built across the Middle East for a long time? Despite China's formidable naval building program, analysts believe it has yet to acquire the capability to challenge US power in the Gulf.

There is no indication that China will do so anytime soon in the region.

However, despite its military prowess, China's economic and technological presence in the Middle East has grown significantly over the past few years. The US cannot compete with China in key areas such as broadband infrastructure.

China's military presence in the Middle East is quite small. The country has 200 marines at the Djibouti naval base solely for anti-piracy and civilian rescue operations. Although China has sponsored the formation of a joint navy with Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, it has not committed any ships to the project.

According to an American Enterprise Institute note published in February 2013, 'Current China-based power and assertiveness in the region does not appear to be sufficient to support the level of economic and diplomatic engagement. So Washington should be more prepared.

There are rumors about plans for a Chinese naval base in the UAE. But it is not sure yet. According to the Pentagon's latest monitoring, China is not forecast to increase its military capabilities in the region. Currently, America has 200,000 marines, while China has only 30,000. Even America has 70,000 special forces against 12,000 special forces.

In August 2014, former US President Barack Obama complained that China was a 'free rider' in the Persian Gulf. The United States used to finance the fleet in the region, which China used to protect its oil trade. But China's military spending continues to rise dramatically here. Although China's commitment to the Middle East is minimal, China remains a free rider.

Analysts say China may step in if US commitments to protect shipping lanes deteriorate. But this is just a guess. For now, China will devote the bulk of its military resources to coastal defense. These may include medium and long-range missiles, J-20 interceptors, satellites, electronic warfare and submarines.

However, China is still proving that its interests in the region do not conflict with America's. Pan Guang, a political scientist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Observer website in 2022, "China's economic investment and US military investment may complement each other in some places, such as in the Gulf countries." America's quite abroad

There are several large military bases. Qatar has the largest military base. There are also two in Saudi Arabia and one in the United Arab Emirates. However, the construction of infrastructure in these countries was not done by American workers, but by Chinese workers. Besides, workers from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka and India have worked.

Meanwhile, the annual rate of China's exports to Saudi Arabia in late 2022 and early 2023 will reach nearly 45 billion US dollars. In contrast, EU exports to Saudi Arabia peaked at $45 billion in 2014, but fell to $33 billion in 2022.

On the other hand, US exports in 2015 were $19 billion. In 2022, it dropped to $11.5 billion. China has even overtaken the US and Europe as Saudi Arabia's leading supplier of industrial goods in solar power, public transport and other high-tech sectors. In addition, China's exports to Israel doubled between 2018 and 2021. Chinese exports to Türkiye and Central Asia also increased significantly.

Analysts view China's goal as a long-term strategy and opportunistic. The region may have four stages in order of long-term interests and importance of the country.

First—ensuring the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. China is the world's largest customer in this regard, so they must increase stability.

Second—creating the Belt and Road Initiative through overland transport of fuel and other goods as an alternative to poor maritime transport.

Third—expanding the market for Chinese high-tech industries in the Gulf region.

Fourth—to keep Muslim fundamentalism in check at home and build a better understanding of Uyghur policy by maintaining growing ties in the Muslim world, especially with Turkey.

China also has other smaller targets. For example, more access to Israeli technology. China has no strategic interest in the Palestinian issue. The offer to mediate Israeli-Palestinian peace is just a diplomatic ploy. The proposal would help China put pressure on Israel without fail and open the door to bargaining in future negotiations with Israel.

China is not challenging America's military presence in the Middle East, nor is it challenging China's leadership in American trade and infrastructure investment. Although China's direct military involvement is minimal, its economic influence will strengthen ties in the region. Source: Asia Times.