China’s Realignment Policy in the Middle East after Iran-Israel Conflict

Abstract

The Iran-Israel conflict has caused a major geopolitical shift in Middle Eastern
politics, particularly in the context of global powers that are keen to exploit the
situation in their own favor. China’s role in the Middle East has also changed after the
Iran and Israel backlash, as its prime goal and foremost objective is the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI), for the realization of which Beijing is to play the role of mediator and
economic partner. This research conducts qualitative content analyses of secondary
data from to 2020-2025 to compare China’s approach with those of its competitors in
the Middle East. China’s realignment policy requires it to expand its diplomatic,
economic, and strategic influences. China, as a selectively neutral and economically
vibrant country, is playing its part in the regional peace-building process and is
benefiting from the easy flow of energy and trading routes. It does not adhere to the
conventional Western model of interaction based on ideological convergence but is
more adamantabout economic collaboration. Iran is an emerging strategic partner, and
it is the second-largest trading partner of China; however, it also involves the risks of
American sanctions, and the pro-sovereignty stance is eroding Israel’s political trust.
The current study delves into the debate of hegemonic powers that balance themselves
in finer struggles over regional conflicts alongside the promotion of strategic interests
in a multipolar order of world politics. This is indeed a fresh contribution to modern
research on the Middle East, as it does not focus on the war alone but on the Chinese
realignment policy that tries to gain influence through a more robust economic way.
This study attempts to answer the broader question of How China’s realignment policy
is helping it gain influence in the Middle East in the presence of its Western
competitors, particularly the US after the Iran-Israel conflict.