China's partnership diplomacy in the Middle East

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, China has gradually formulated a global and multi-dimensional partnership network. China’s partnership diplomacy in the Middle East is a crucial component of its global partnership network, including partners in the Persian Gulf, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Maghreb region. Based on their importance to China, these countries can be roughly divided into “pivot states,” “node states,” “key states,” and the “stronghold states,” which constitute the portfolio of China’s partnership diplomacy in the area. In prospect, China’s partnership diplomacy will be evolving from bilateral cooperation to multilateral consultation, from partnership with sovereign states to that with regional organizations, and from state-based partnership to issue-oriented partnership.