In 2013, I warned that a Pax Sinica in the Middle East might replace America's predominant role. As the largest importer of Persian Gulf oil, China wants stability in the region. To that end, China's first venture into Middle East diplomacy came in December 2022, when it issued a joint statement with the Sunni Gulf States chastising Iran's disruptive role in the region.
Chinese commentators and netizens lined up against the Jewish state like iron filings on a sheet of paper with a magnet underneath.Why? Israel is an American ally, and America and China are locked in an adversarial wrangle. Israel is in the crosshairs. China has no particular fondness for Arabs or Persians, nor any particular animosity toward Jews: It is playing its hand ruthlessly against Washington.