Conversation
08.19.24
What to Make of China’s Moves in the Middle East
What does Beijing expect to gain from the intra-Palestinian peace talks? What considerations shape China’s position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, and on the wider geopolitical picture of the Middle East? How does China’s support for Iran factor into...
Conversation
08.26.21
What Does the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan Mean for China?
As China seeks to balance security concerns and financial considerations, a nation that has long espoused the principle of noninterference may find its foreign policy tested in coming months. What will be the challenges and opportunities for China...
Photo Gallery
02.21.20
‘They Feel Like They Can’t Go Home’
In September 2014, while waiting for access to photograph Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, a Chinese photographer who calls himself “Ali” came upon a large group of students from his home country at a local restaurant. He knew that many young Chinese...
Conversation
08.20.19
What Would a Larger Chinese Presence Mean for the Middle East?
China’s steady expansion of its Middle East footprint and influence poses significant questions for U.S. policymakers. The Middle East has long been a battleground for strategic competition between both regional and global powers. Is it poised to...
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08.09.18China’s Power in the Middle East Is Rising
Washington Post
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, his second Middle East trip after visiting Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt in January 2016. The most significant outcome was the elevation of the bilateral...
Conversation
08.01.18
What Would a U.S. War—or Peace—with Iran mean for China?
China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, Iran’s largest trading partner, and arguably its most important positive political relationship. What do Trump’s threats to Iran mean for China’s relationship with the country? And how would a war between...
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01.08.18China to Open Cultural Center in Jordan
Xinhua
China will launch a cultural centre to promote Chinese culture in Jordan and to enhance ties between the two countries, Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang said Monday.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.07.17Why Is China So Worried about Trump Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's Capital?
South China Morning Post
China anticipates more conflict in the Middle East following the United States’ move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which in turn would disrupt its investment plans in the region, diplomatic observers said。
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07.25.17For China's Global Ambitions, ‘Iran Is at the Center of Everything’
New York Times
When Zuao Ru Lin, a Beijing entrepreneur, first heard about business opportunities in eastern Iran, he was skeptical. But then he bought a map and began to envision the region without any borders, as one enormous market.
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07.12.17Fugitive Chinese Tycoon ‘Snoops on Middle Eastern Royal Families’ in Leaked Phone Messages
South China Morning Post
Recordings of what appear to be phone voice messages left by fugitive Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui requesting information about powerful royal family members in the Middle East and other international public figures have emerged online.
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05.31.17Emirates Says Telling Cabin Crew Not to Wear Taiwan Flag Pins per China’s Request Was an ‘Error’
South China Morning Post
Emirates on Wednesday walked back an email ordering its Taiwanese cabin crew to remove the island’s flag from their uniforms following the Middle East airline’s decision to acquiesce to Beijing’s one-China policy.
China in the World Podcast
05.16.17
Evaluating Trump’s First 100 Days
from Carnegie China
One hundred days into Donald Trump’s presidency, he has shocked the establishment and foreign governments with many foreign policy reversals, and also some surprising areas of consistency. In this podcast, Paul Haenle sat down with Jon Finer, former...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.21.17China’s Xi Tells Israel That Peaceful Middle East Good for All
Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians would be good for both sides.
Sinica Podcast
03.10.17
Jane Perlez: Chinese Foreign Relations in a New Age of Uncertainty
from Sinica Podcast
Jane Perlez has been a reporter at The New York Times since 1981. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for coverage of the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She has reported on wars, diplomacy, and foreign policy from...
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12.30.16While the Rest of the World Retreats, China Expands Investments in Arab World
Huffington Post
As chaos consumes large portions of the region, Beijing is sending in cash
The China Africa Project
12.25.16
China’s Risky Power Play in the Arab World
International Relations Professor Zaynab El Bernoussi from Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, joins Eric and Cobus this week to discuss her recent column on China’s growing influence in the Middle East and North Africa. Professor El...
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11.30.16China’s Approach to the Middle East Looks Familiar
Diplomat
Despite repudiating American foreign policy, China now borrows heavily from U.S.-style Middle Eastern diplomacy
ChinaFile Recommends
11.23.16China Expands UN Peacekeeping Role as U.S. Influence Wanes
Financial Times
‘Blue helmet’ deployments offer opportunity to burnish international image
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08.25.16China Military Says It Is Providing Medical Training for Syria
Reuters
China has its own security concerns about violence in the region.
Media
07.21.16
More Than 100 Chinese Muslims Have Joined the Islamic State
A July 20 report from New America, a think tank in Washington, DC, examined more than 4,000 registration records of fighters who joined the Islamic State between mid-2013 and mid-2014.
Postcard
05.05.16
If China Builds It, Will the Arab World Come?
In May 2016, the Emirates airline inaugurated its new direct service to the Chinese city of Yinchuan. Yinchuan joins Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou as destinations served by Emirates, meaning that a passenger who boards a plane in Dubai is now...
Media
03.01.16
Why China Isn’t Hosting Syrian Refugees
The civil war in Syria, now spanning almost half a decade, and the Islamic State’s territorial advances there have led to the world’s worst refugee crisis in decades. More than 4.7 million Syrians have left their homeland, pouring into neighboring...
The China Africa Project
02.11.16
China’s Risky Gamble to Become a Major Player in the Middle East and North Africa
Chinese president Xi Jinping’s three-country tour of the Middle East and North Africa offers yet another example of Beijing’s expanding drive for increased global influence. During his first visit to the region, Xi traveled to Saudi Arabia, Egypt,...
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12.14.15China, U.A.E. Set Up $10 Billion Joint Investment Fund
Wall Street Journal
Deal to strengthen link between China and Middle East will focus on direct equity investments in both regions.
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09.15.15Iran Says Wants China's Help to Resolve Middle East Tensions
Reuters
China has been active in pushing both the United states and Iran to reach agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
Media
09.10.15
Chinese Web Users Grieve for Syrian Toddler—and Blame America
A photo of Syrian three-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying dead on a Turkish beach, who drowned as his family attempted to flee their war-torn homeland by crossing the Mediterranean Sea to find refuge in Greece, has stunned viewers across Europe and the...
Sinica Podcast
09.05.14
ISIS and China
from Sinica Podcast
With the recent capture of a Chinese ISIS soldier triggering speculation about the involvement of Chinese citizens in the Iraqi civil war, Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn are joined in our studio by Edward Wong from The New York Times and Prashant...
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04.08.14As China Turns Toward Middle East, China and Israel Seek Closer Ties
Diplomat
Israeli President Shimon Peres is visiting China, the latest sign of growing Chinese-Israeli ties.
Media
09.18.13
For Chinese, Violence in the Middle East Sparks Debate on Democracy, Stability
Recent months have been rocky for the Middle East: harsh crackdowns on protesters in Egypt and a Rashomon-like scenario in which the Syrian government and the rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons, just to name a few. The region’s...
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09.17.13Insecurity Drives China’s Syria Policy
Diplomat
At home, the Party sees parallels between Gaddafi and Morsi and its own regime. Any legitimization of the West’s role in their demises is inherently a legitimization of future interference in China with the aim of undermining the Party. ...
Conversation
05.10.13
What’s China’s Game in the Middle East?
Rachel Beitarie:Xi Jinping’s four point proposal for a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement is interesting not so much for its content, as for its source. While China has maintained the appearance of being involved in Middle East politics for years,...