Sino-Gulf Cooperation Council Partnership in a New Era of Great Power Competition

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in a new era of great power competition. It explores how the GCC countries’ integration into the BRI framework is influenced by this new competition. For the GCC countries, an escalation in competition between the US and the PRC could lead to reshaping alliances and coalitions in the Persian Gulf, reducing their diplomatic maneuvers to the lowest levels, abandoning neutrality, and joining one of the two camps against the other. Nevertheless, the Gulf monarchies continue to view their ties with Washington as a core pillar of their national security. They are determined to maintain the security partnership with the US while strengthening economic and technological partnerships with China. Therefore, the great power competition complicates their position and pressures them to side with one of the two powers.