Middle East: between image and interests

Xi Jinping received Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi last February. The current conflict upsets China’s diplomatic balancing act in the Middle East.

The Hamas attack on Israel and the potentially spreading conflict jeopardize China’s image as a selfless mediator. After all, Beijing certainly has tangible interests in the region: above all, oil. A trend is already visible. Xi Jinping remains silent. This upsets Israel, but in the long run, it will bring China cheap energy and sympathy in the Arab world.

When it comes to pinpointing the cause of the ongoing violence in the Middle East, China’s answer is clear: the US is to blame. „Instead of calming the situation, US officials appear busy fanning the flames,“ the Global Times wrote on Wednesday.

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