What is China up to in the Middle East?

China’s Middle East envoy is in the UAE today as Beijing seeks to set itself apart from Washington by positioning itself as a global peace broker for the Middle East. This will produce a hollow laugh from critics of China but it illustrates that Beijing is on manoeuvres again in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

As the death toll in Gaza passes 5,000, Zhai Jun has proclaimed China’s mission to “promote a ceasefire, stop the violence, and cool down the situation”. 

Zhai Jun’s visit coincides with reports that six Chinese war ships are operating in Middle Eastern waters. The intent is unclear. Chinese officials claim the ships are simply in the region having conducted recent joint military exercises with Oman and their presence is unrelated to the violence in Israel and Palestine. 

Others are sceptical, and interpret their presence as a challenge to Washington which has ramped up its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean following Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel. 

China – alongside Russia – has made a point of criticising the Western-led support for Israel following the attacks. While Beijing has described itself as “a friend to both Israel and Palestine,” it has refrained from explicitly condemning Hamas, denounced Israel for “going beyond self-defense” during its retaliatory bombing and is now calling for a ceasefire. 

Beijing’s pro-Palestinian stance dates back decades. Under Chairman Mao, the founder of Communist China, Beijing armed and trained Palestinian militant groups.

Things have shifted somewhat in recent years, with Chinese investment and trade with Israel – especially in the technology sector – skyrocketing over the past decade. 

Despite these closer ties, elements in Beijing will continue to view Israel as a colonialist outpost put in place by the West to perpetuate its hegemony over the Middle East. China knows too that it cannot compete against Israel’s loyalty towards Washington so advocating instead for Palestinians becomes an opportunity to bolster its status as a champion of Arab countries. 

Pushing for a ceasefire allows Beijing to score points against the US by presenting itself (however implausibly) as the responsible, global peacemaker. Indeed, China expressed its “deep disappointment” with Washington last week for for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the fighting. 

The peacemaker role is one that Beijing seems increasingly keen to be seen playing: back in March, China helped to put the finishing touches on an agreement which saw long-time rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to reestablish diplomatic relations.

Such efforts are clearly part of an attempt to challenge the US-led world order, an order that is crumbling. But there is a twist. If Beijing is able to leverage its close relationship with Hamas-backer Iran it might – just might – help prevent the war from escalating into a wider regional or global conflict that America and many others are keen to avoid.

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