Opinion | China’s soft power in the Middle East is growing, but it is unlikely to cut the Israel-Palestine Gordian knot

When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met Xi Jinping in Beijing, the Chinese president proposed a three-point solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The proposal called for an independent Palestine based on 1967 borders, increased development and humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the facilitating of long-term peace talks through larger-scale international meetings.

China’s new active role in Middle East diplomacy is boosting its soft power. Its recent success in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia has given Xi’s meeting with Abbas more global importance. The move is also a clear challenge to US hegemony.

In a report last year, China said it rejected the idea of a power vacuum in the Middle East, and believed the region’s people were the masters of their future. Beijing does seem to be acting accordingly, as it can be argued, for example, that it was the key players in the Middle East that sought out China’s involvement, rather than vice versa.

The US has faltered in meeting the interests of at least one important Middle East stakeholder. As the security-for-oil deal becomes less relevant and US influence fades, long-time ally and regional power Saudi Arabia has initiated new commercial ties with China.

By brokering the Saudi-Iran peace treaty, China is viewed in some quarters as having improved regional security more effectively than the US. Palestine has grown tired of the US insistence on a two-state solution and the lack of action towards Israel, which the Palestinians see as their aggressors.