The war between Israel and Hezbollah has already brought China's new security architecture in the Middle East to the brink of collapse. If China achieves a major breakthrough in developing international relations in the Middle East in 2023, through alliances with regional powers, it is likely to completely collapse after 2024 and become unworkable.
In September 2022, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi unveiled China's "New Middle East Security Architecture," specifically emphasizing the principle of state leadership and adherence to UN security mechanisms, strengthening regional security dialogue across multiple security areas, and advocating for a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue. This rhetoric ultimately aims to highlight China's importance in regional security in the Middle East, as an alternative to the United States.
The EU and Russia, traditional external powers in the Middle East, were preoccupied with the Ukrainian war and preoccupied with other matters. In March 2023, China surprisingly orchestrated a meeting between the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia, restoring diplomatic relations and exchanging ambassadors, excluding the United States. Suddenly, China became a mediator of the international order in the Middle East. In August 2023, Wang Yi declared that a "wave of reconciliation" was sweeping the Middle East, with Qatar ending its isolation, Turkey, Arab states, and Egypt reaching reconciliation, and Syria rejoining the Arab League.
China seeks to integrate Muslims in confrontation with Israel
Beijing's primary interests in the Middle East are energy security and economic and trade investment. The ultimate goal of investing in various infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative is to align and align the economic development strategies of Middle Eastern countries with China's. Rather than creating a new security architecture in the Middle East, it's more accurate to say that China, through its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is aligning Iran and Saudi Arabia, uniting Middle Eastern Muslims in a confrontation with Israel over the Palestinian issue. This allows China to entangle Shia and Sunni factions, thereby expanding its economic interests in the Persian Gulf region.
