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America Bombs Iran, China Recalculates
The U.S.- Israeli strike on Iran and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is a blow to Chinese influence in the Middle East. China finds itself with few tools immediately available to push back against the U.S., much less protect what’s left of the Iranian regime. The attack, following the fall of its ally…
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Iran Needs China More Than China Needs Iran
China isn’t happy about the looming conflict between the U.S. and Iran but it’s in no mood or position to give its ally in Tehran much of a lifeline. This reluctance to take a firm stand shows that Beijing is playing it safe. The approach reflects a broader, calculated strategy to avoid entanglement in regional…
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Digital Dead Heat in the Desert
Since last year, residents in Dubai have been able to call on a Chinese-manufactured drone to get a Starbucks latte delivered. It is a trivial convenience, but also a telling one. The drone reflects China’s broader ambition: to have its technology products — from fiber-optic networks and cell phones to food delivery — embedded into…
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Iranian Repression, with a Chinese Flavor
The protests that have swept through Iran’s streets since late last December recall the wave of anger that erupted after the death of the Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in 2022—albeit with a clear difference in momentum and, more notably, in the methods used to suppress protesters. Following the 2022 protests, authorities announced that they would…
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China and Iran: Support Without Rescue
Claims that China carried out a large military airlift to Iran in late January spread quickly online. U.S. officials say the story is false and distracts from the more limited reality of Beijing’s role. Social media posts and some Iranian outlets alleged that 16 Chinese military cargo aircraft delivered advanced air-defense systems to Iran over a 56-hour period.…
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China’s Language of Influence
America projects soft power through popular culture (think Mickey Mouse, Taylor Swift) or its biggest brands (Nike or Stanford). As it plots its rise globally, and in the Middle East, China’s own soft power strategy is quite different: It’s top-down, run by the state and focused on educational and cultural outreach. Beijing’s goal, however, is…
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China’s Middle East ‘D’ Strategy: No Drama, Lots of (Yawn) Diplomacy
China Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent tour of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan typified his country’s approach to the region: Be boring. Wang spoke of promoting strategic communication, enhancing mutual trust and resolving differences through dialogue. There were no headline-grabbing announcements, much less any hint of drama. The operative d word is…
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China’s Caravan Route to Regional Influence
When China’s Belt and Road Initiative was unveiled in 2013, it was sold as a grand connective vision: ports and pipelines, highways and industrial corridors, binding Eurasia together with Chinese capital and construction. In the Middle East and North Africa, it looks more like a mosaic. Less a single sweeping program here BRI is a…
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How China Became the Middle East Economic Power
Frustrated by long entanglements in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Obama administration in 2011 announced a strategic “rebalance” toward the Asia-Pacific, where China was emerging as Washington’s principal rival. Gulf states, America’s closest since the 1940s, got the message as well. They did not abandon the U.S. security umbrella, but they hedged their bets by building…
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After the Secret Was Exposed, China Issues a Stern Warning to Israel
China was swift to express indignation at a secret visit that was made in recent weeks by Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, François Wu, to Israel, as reported by Reuters, citing three unidentified sources. In a strongly worded message sent by the Chinese Embassy in Israel, Beijing stressed that as far as China’s core interests, the…