Message of Wang Qishan’s Mideast tour
The Middle East is an important region for the success of the Belt and Road initiative. Both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf hold prominent positions in the construction of land and sea routes. The visit of Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan to Israel, Palestine, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is giving a fresh impetus to relations with the region. The Belt and Road initiative functions as an unprecedented integration mechanism bringing winwin results for all participants, even if the latter do not necessarily enjoy excellent relations among them.
Starting with Israel, its relations with China have been continuously flourishing. On the one hand, the country is trying to “look East” and establish good relations with nations such as China, a critical destination for its exports. On the other, China is interested in investing in Israeli innovation and technology as well as undertaking infrastructure works. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Wang co-chaired the fourth meeting of China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation opening the door for additional business deals. The improvement in Sino-Israeli relations goes hand-in-hand with stronger people-to-people exchanges. For example, approximately 114,000 Chinese tourists visited Israel in 2017, an increase of 41 percent over 2016.
As far as Sino-Palestinian relations are concerned, economic opportunities are slowly expanding. In July 2017, when Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing, he said the two sides could closely collaborate on Belt and Road construction. Wang reiterated the same message during his visit. Last year, bilateral trade volume reached $69.28 million, up 16.2 percent over 2016. The recent signing of a memorandum of understanding for a free trade agreement marks the common interest in boosting trade.
Egypt’s cooperation with China is multidimensional. China is the largest investor in the development of the Suez Canal Corridor and TEDA Corporation is constructing a Chinese industrial zone in the area. Bilateral trade amounted to $12 billion last year. The visit of Wang to Cairo took place less
than two months after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi attended the fruitful Beijing Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation. Beyond business and investments, collaboration in fields such as education and antiquities is being gradually enhanced. Both Egypt and China are participating in a relatively new initiative, the Ancient Civilizations Forum, launched in Athens in April 2017.
Last but not the least, the UAE and China are going through an excellent period of mutual trust. Last July, they decided to upgrade their bilateral relations to a strategic comprehensive partnership. This happened on the occasion of Xi’s official visit to Abu Dhabi after his tour of some African countries. China is interested in importing oil and natural gas to meet its increasing needs. Also, the room for Chinese investment in the UAE is significant. COSCO Shipping Ports Limited, for instance, has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC for the lease of a container freight station. China does not yet belong to the top 10 list of countries with foreign direct investment in the UAE. The visit of Wang only three months after Xi’s trip has generated optimism for the future.
Generally, China’s economic policy vis-à-vis the Middle East has been impressively dynamic since 2013. Several Western scholars are thus wondering what this could possibly signal for political affairs and international relations. The general presence of China is more active indeed. Concerning the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, China supports the political settlement of the issue on the basis of the two-state solution, Xi said in his talks with visiting Palestinian President Abbas last July. China also hopes for more dialogue between China, Israel and the Palestinians to promote key projects.
The more China grows, the more its responsibilities rise at the international level. But this does not mean the country is looking to cover any (alleged) geopolitical gap in the Middle East after the US pivot to Asia. China’s principal interest remains the successful realization of the Belt and Road initiative and the preservation of economic sustainability.
The author is a lecturer at the European Institute in Nice, France. opinion@ globaltimes.com.cn