Former Saudi King Abdullah meets with then-Chinese Vice President, Xi Jinping in 2008 [Photo Credit: Reuters]

– Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, January 31, 2010

In many respects, the Middle East’s instability draws from the state of conflict created by many nations vying for individual dominance over energy markets. The significance of these resources has caused a regional conflict to attract several global players who have their own vested interests. Thus, in analysing the roots of these problems, it is important to acknowledge the interplay between Western intervention and energy and how China’s unique approach to the region may provide a framework for long-term stability.

The Western approach of direct political involvement and participation in several major conflicts over the last 20 years has been strategically short-sighted. The United States has sought a tactical approach, using various treaties, to politically leverage its position in order to gain access to vast amounts of oil, fuelling a cycle of instability. These tactics have not only resulted in present-day problems but also neglected the role that other global powers could have in addressing this perpetual state of conflict

Western involvement aside, China could play a significant role in easing tensions in the region. China’s connections to the Middle East are rooted in anti-colonial struggles highlighted by a wave of diplomatic recognition beginning with Egypt in 1956. The impetus to develop these connections highlights a renewed style of strategic diplomacy when transitioning out of the ROC era. This long-term thinking demonstrates the foresight the country had in reaching its current status as a superpower. It nurtured these relationships, emerging as a net oil importer in 1993, with the Middle East providing half of its oil imports and approximately 30% coming from Saudi Arabia and Iran. This relationship has been mutually beneficial with Saudi Arabia assisting China in developing strategic petroleum reserves and upgrading China’s downstream refinery capacity as demonstrated by the construction of a refinery in the Fujian Province. China has displayed its ability to navigate the Middle Eastern quagmire by strengthening both Sino-Saudi relations as well as Sino-Iranian relations. China’s relations with Iran have blossomed due to China’s growing energy needs. China has signed a 100bn USD deal with Iran to import 10 million tons of liquefied natural gas over a 25-year period in exchange for a Chinese stake of 50 percent in the development of the Yahavaran oil field in Iran.

Having carefully maintained this balancing act between two nations in direct conflict, China has highlighted its acute sense of gauging the relevant incentives in the Middle East. China must now leverage these relationships to ensure continued peace in the region. It could approach this dilemma through employing the Chinese Special Envoy in the region in a more involved manner. The recent appointment of Gong Xiaosheng in this role was a smart move because Gong’s depth of knowledge regarding China’s Uyghur population furthers his cultural credibility in the Middle East. Through Gong, China can influence Iran because of the economic dependence it created, especially in light of the nuclear deal Iran signed with the West. Despite the lifting of Iranian sanctions, Iran has always exported oil to China, and this factor creates more trust between the two nations as opposed to the Western world’s hesitant relationship with Iran.

There is a difference between acknowledging a reality and altering a reality. Yet, creating a comprehensive solution requires an understanding of both and that is where China has the potential to be an influential peacemaker to the Middle Eastern conflict. The method of trading between China, Iran and Saudi is, in itself, a medium of dealing with tension and perhaps an opportunity that can be leveraged in some form to placate the instability in the region. Between improved trade relations and the increased diplomatic presence as a result of the Special Envoy, China has enabled the various arms of strategic diplomacy that could provide a structure for a more optimistic future. While the West only sought to impose realities, highlighted again by the nuclear deal, and neglected to afford respect to the relevant nations, China’s gradual processes provide a renewed strategic approach that at the very minimum provides an alternative means to address the conflict.

Sources

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/china-a-solution-in-the-middle-east/

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Chietigj-Bajpaee/1677/article.html

http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/20/china-middle-east-saudi-arabia-iran-oil-nuclear-deal/

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3862#.ViVFNX6rTs0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-dorsey/china-and-the-middle-east_b_5827276.html

Nikhil Kanade