China increasingly committed to its role as a mediator in the Middle East
It is not surprising that in recent months we have seen a greater Chinese presence in the Middle East region, where it seeks to strengthen its ties with Arab countries in competition with the United States, which seems increasingly absent in the area, according to experts, after its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran and its long occupation and disorganised exit from Afghanistan and Iraq, which have affected its image as a defender of peace in the Middle East.
China's presence in the region is undoubtedly growing and one could even argue that its influence is growing. However, it cannot replace the Americans in its commitment to guaranteeing the security of its allies thanks to its numerous military bases in the region, but it can make a place for itself in the economic and diplomatic spheres as part of its commitment to mediating global conflicts.
In February, China published its "Global Security Initiative", which seeks to resolve disputes between countries peacefully through dialogue and conduct. With this objective in mind, it intervened in the diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which, after seven years of broken bilateral relations, have brought positions closer together and re-established ties. It also wants to act as a conciliator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as China expressed two months ago, which has led Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make a state visit to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who defined the relationship between the two as "good friends and partners". Already in December during the first China-Arab states summit he pledged with the Palestinian president to seek a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem.
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the official trip is aimed at "exchanging views on the latest developments in Palestine, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest". President Abbas commented on the desire to establish a free trade zone between the two countries and hopes that delegations will soon be sent to begin work on the projects. They have also signed an economic and technological cooperation pact, an agreement on mutual visa waivers for diplomats and a friendship agreement between Wuhan and Ramallah, where the Palestinian headquarters in the West Bank is located.
Mohammed Mustafa, economic adviser to the Palestinian president, said they had signed an agreement on Chinese funding for four projects to be carried out in the West Bank, including a solar energy facility, a factory for the production of solar panels and a steel plant. The "Strategic Partnership" reached between the two has been described by the Chinese leader as "an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations".
On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, "China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate territorial rights, so it is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Palestinian side to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the problem as soon as possible," according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Xi proposes three points of action to achieve peace in the conflict that would provide Palestine with independent statehood based on the 1967 borders, in addition to seeking talks with Israel.
China, which continues to support the Palestinian Authority becoming a full member of the UN, is at loggerheads with the US, which is completely opposed until a peace agreement is reached with Israel. Palestine looks to China for a mediator to replace the Americans, who continue to reaffirm their commitment to Israel's security and who hindered progress in the 2014 peace talks.