The ‘China Model’ in the Middle East

Abstract

Over the last six months, China has no longer seemed ascendant in the Middle East. As the United States has assumed a leading role in both regional and global diplomacy over the conflict in Gaza, China has drifted increasingly to the margins. It is becoming clear not only that China does not aspire to replace the United States in the Middle East, but also that China and most Arab states alike want the United States to maintain committed to Middle Eastern security. At the same time, however, both China and the Arab states appear driven to loosen what they see as an undesirable US grip on the region and to forge a more multipolar future. In pursuit of it, they find common purpose in a single, simple idea: China presents a new model for domestic and international governance, and there are large parts of China’s model that are worth emulating. A striking feature of this pursuit is its vagueness.