China seeks to proactively interfere with Middle East conflicts

China seeks to proactively interfere with Middle East conflicts. July. 24, 2017 07:33. by Ja-Ryong Koo bonhong@donga.com.

A passive country in intervening in Middle East issues by citing the principle of non-interference in foreign countries’ internal politics, China is now raising voice over various conflicts and moving to proactively arbitrate conflicts. Analysts say that the move is aimed at seamless implementation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s external economic strategy "Belt and Road" and reflects Beijing’s commitment not to lose ground in its strategic competition with the U.S.

 

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi invited and met with United Arab Emirates foreign minister Sultan Al Jaber in Beijing on Wednesday last week, and Qatar foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday when he said, “The Qatari situation should be resolved by the Gulf Cooperation Council without assistance from foreign forces.” “China has deep relations with both countries,” Li Guo-fu, director of the Center for Middle East Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said, while calling both sides and effectively urging them to smoothly resolve the crisis.  

 

Earlier, in his closed meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday last week, Chinese President Xi proposed three-way talks aimed at resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, which also involves China, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on Thursday. The Chinese leader revealed his recognition that peaceful co-existence between the two countries is required to ensure the success of Beijing’s Belt and Road strategy.   

 

China is also raising voice by playing the role of an arbitrator in the Afghanistan civil war and the Sudan civil war. When Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on July 12 said that China has intent to play a constructive role in arbitrating the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Indian foreign ministry said the next day, “The issue should be resolved within the framework of bilateral relations, and we don’t want arbitration by a third party country.”