China’s Middle East Moment Is Stalling Out
Beijing’s rise as a regional power broker at the US’s expense has lost momentum amid its reluctance to take on a sustained political or security role
Illustration: Carlo Giambarresi for Bloomberg
Three years ago, analysts in Washington worried that China was emerging as a power broker in the Middle East, an area where the US had dominated for decades. This realignment was announced in March 2023, when Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties with each other after years of barely speaking — following secret negotiations held not in the US or even the Middle East, but around a triangular table in Beijing.
It seemed like a landmark moment, capping years of creeping Chinese influence in the region. And yet, in recent months China has taken a backseat on every major political issue in the Middle East and appears to be a fringe player in the region once again. The recent violent unrest in Iran — China’s top strategic partner in the Middle East — is another blow to Beijing.