China and the Middle East

This book discusses China’s increasingly significant economic and security interests in the Middle East, not only involving its energy security but also its relations with regional powers and the United States. Between efforts to pacify nationalist and Islamist Uighurs in its north-western province of Xinjiang, China’s insistence on non-interference in the domestic affairs of others, refusal to envision a foreign military presence, and perseverance that its primary focus is the development of mutually beneficial economic and commercial relations have caused the country to fall short of what it needs to do to safeguard its vital interests. The author shows how China is being forced to become a regional player in competitive cooperation with the United States, the dominant external actor in the region for the foreseeable future.