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Middle East
OpinionChina Opinion
Riaz Khokhar
Riaz Khokhar

Opinion | Why can’t US and China jointly seek Middle East peace and still compete?

  • Although they support rival camps and pursue divergent geopolitical games, the US and China are also working for the same thing: the region’s security and stability
  • Jostling for influence in the region should not stop the two from working together for peace

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Illustration: Stephen Case
Riaz Khokhar
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting China this week and his agenda includes meeting China’s senior leadership to discuss issues such as the conflict in the Middle East. In the wake of Iran’s air strike on US ally Israel, Blinken is expected to be appreciative of Chinese efforts to engage with Iran and urge restraint.
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After Iran’s retaliatory strike, Beijing’s foreign policy chief, Wang Yi, talked to his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, on the phone, condemning Israel’s earlier attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria as a breach of international law. Abdollahian reassured Wang that Tehran had acted in self-defence and would not target any neighbouring countries.

Wang appreciated Iran’s good neighbourliness and has also reached out to Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, assuring him of China’s commitment to work with regional countries to prevent further escalation.

Beijing could similarly urge Blinken to restrain Israel from escalation by launching further strikes against Iran or its diplomatic infrastructure in the region.

Up till now, US and Chinese diplomatic efforts around the Middle East crisis have shown that they are poles apart, supporting rival camps and pursuing divergent geopolitical games. But if they think outside their geopolitical confrontation, they will find that they are working for shared interests in the region: security and stability.

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For one, neither country wants an unstable Middle East. It strains US military resources and diplomatic capital in ways that goes against its strategic interests regarding containing China and Russia. It also increases pressure on Beijing to take a leadership role in both diplomatic and military terms to resolve the crises.

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