In the Middle East, a Cold War Redux?

China and the U.S. are competing for influence in the troubled region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on August 26, 2019. August 21, 2025, 6:14 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Middle East Crisis

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Last spring, I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong. While I was there, I met with people from mainland China and discussed the gamut of issues on the U.S.-China agenda. When it came to the Middle East, one of my interlocutors relayed that Beijing does not look at the region the same way Washington does, declaring, “We just want to buy from and sell to the Middle East. That’s it

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