When China announced a surprise deal restoring ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran this year, it signalled Beijing's desire to be a diplomatic heavyweight in the Middle East.
After the March Saudi-Iran agreement, which China brokered, Chinese media hailed Beijing's rising profile in a region long dominated by Washington. Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, said the country would continue to play a constructive role in handling global
That should not come as a surprise, say analysts. Chinese diplomacy has long been risk-averse, and the spiralling conflict between Israel and Hamas puts its diplomats in a difficult spot, given China's historic support for the Palestinians and its rivalry with the United States. Although there is a chance to build on its Iran-Saudi success, China is unlikely to engage deeply in the current crisis.
"The most important external factor behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the United States' attempt to enforce the Abraham Accords," wrote Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Institute for Middle East Studies of Shanghai International Studies University, in an interview published by a Chinese media outlet. "The achievement of peace in the Middle East region and the just settlement of the question of Palestine are inseparable.
The Asian giant's oil imports and investments in the Middle East, including telecoms and infrastructure as part of Xi's Belt and Road Initiative, means Beijing desires peace, but there are clear limits to Xi's willingness to take risks.
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