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China moves slowly in the Middle East
A forum was organized last week in Beijing by Tsinghua University, under the title "Building a community of security: equality, equity and justice". a wide range of security issues. When the subject is security, the Middle East automatically comes to the fore.
Despite all of China's efforts to be as open and peaceful as possible, any measure it has taken, no matter how insignificant, is enough to scare many countries around the world. Last year, it built a support base in Djibouti over an area of 0.5 km2, with a staff of 300 people. During the forum, the US participants insisted that it was a military base, while Chinese hosts said it was a military base. a supply center as part of the Chinese Belt and Road initiative.
Japan and the United States also operate bases in the southern suburbs of Djibouti. Although these bases do not raise any international objections, the presence of China creates a sensitivity because of the size of the country.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping's belt and road initiative interests almost all the countries of Eurasia. China has granted credits to governments in many countries for the construction of infrastructure that will complement the project.
China needs raw and semi-finished materials for its industries and markets for its agricultural and industrial products. The United States is China's largest market with 18% of its exports and its third largest supplier with 8.5%. It is likely to remain the largest trading partner. Nevertheless, China wants to increase and diversify its trade relations with the countries of Africa and Eurasia.
He penetrates Africa much to the discontent of the old colonial countries. China will be able to source raw materials from Africa and semi-products from Eurasia. The Belt and Road initiative is important for this reason and profitable for both China and the target countries.
China is far from dislodging the United States from the Middle East as a major arms supplier, but it regularly enters the region, starting with drones and other weapons that are not particularly sophisticated .
Yasar Yakis
China is keenly interested in developments in the Middle East because of the country's almost insatiable need for oil. The division between the Sunni and Shiite blocs in the region forced the United States to side with the group that is opposed to Iran. This has created opportunities for Beijing, which has no problem with any country in the region.
A $ 10.7 billion refinery is under construction in Oman with the Chinese capital. China is interested in the improvement of the Suez Canal and the possible construction of a second canal. In Israel, it invests in ports and railways; this cooperation helps two high-tech countries to advance their technological progress compared to others. China is the largest trading partner of Iran. With the revocation of the Iranian nuclear deal by US President Donald Trump, Sino-Iranian trade has grown from $ 31 billion to $ 37 billion.
China is far from dislodging the United States from the Middle East as the main supplier of weapons, but it regularly enters the region, starting with drones and other weapons that are not particularly sophisticated.
If Iran is admitted to the Shanghai Cooperation Council as a full member, due to its current status as an observer, China's footprint in the Middle East will s & # 39; deepen. So far, Beijing has remained neutral by abstaining from UN Security Council votes on regional conflicts, but it may not be possible to maintain neutrality when its participation will deepen.
Trump seems eager to withdraw from the Syrian crisis, but the "deep state" of the United States is reluctant to do so for fear that Iran will no longer be deeply entrenched in Syria. Russia is already very present in Syria.
In such a complicated scenario, China uses its traditional cautious approach to regularly enter the region without military intervention, as that would scare many countries. The irresistible penetration of China in various regions, including the Middle East, will certainly affect the balance of power.
• Yasar Yakis is a former Foreign Minister of Turkey and a founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar
Warning: The opinions expressed by the authors in this section are theirs and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arab News
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