Chinese President Xi Jinping at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jan. 17, 2017. (Photo : Getty Images)
Two great forces have swept the world in 2016 and 2017, which ushered China into the global leadership role, Dr Kadira Pethiyagoda, a fellow with the Brookings Institution researching Asia-Middle East relations said in an article in The Independent.
According to Pethiyagoda, the rise of anti-establishment sentiment and the resurgence of Asia have pushed China to its new role as global leader. The end of the "American Century" was symbolized by Donald Trump's inauguration, the expert said.
At the conference in Davos, China's role as a leader became more evident with its involvement to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, which was seconded by British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement that the U.S. and the U.K. will no longer invade foreign countries "to remake the world in their own image."
The expert said this indicates the end of century-long American dominance as well as half a millennia of Western influence.
In Davos, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged for the establishment of a Palestine state, with its capital in East Jerusalem, while the U.S. discussed about moving its embassy in Israel to the disputed city.
Economic Relations and Strategic Alliance
Over the years, China has strengthened its economic relations in the Middle East, which enabled it to have diplomatic and geopolitical influence. China is the Middle East's largest foreign business partner, even exceeding the U.S., in oil imports. The country's trade with the region reached about $115 billion.
China has also embarked on a strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which are both U.S. allies. The country has persuaded Saudi Arabia to engage in its "One Bet, One Road" initiative and join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Last year, the two countries announced a five-year plan for security cooperation as Saudi Arabia showed its interest in Chinese defense technology.
Pethiyagoda said that unlike the U.S., China believes in the non-interventionist approach, which means that countries in the Middle East must be allowed to choose and decide on their own path to development.
China pledged support for Qatar on issues such as sovereignty, independence, stability and national security.
In addition, China is not part of old alliances and animosities in the region. This gives China more flexibility and provides leverage for its foreign policy in dealing with countries in the region.
Maritime Silk Road
The country looks at the region as an energy source where it can continue the trade routes that it wants to secure from East Asia, going through the Indian Ocean, to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
China's ties with the Middle East also allows it leverage over the energy supplies of its rival, Japan, but more importantly it could be part of its "Maritime Silk Road" initiative, which India fears.
Further, stability in the region is being prioritized more consistently by China than the U.S., the expert said.
According to Pethiyagoda, China's rising role in the Middle East is a step toward its own "manifest destiny." As a rising Asian power, its growing influence in the region is an indication of the end of Western interventionism.
