The Middle East in China’s “New Silk Road” Strategy: Opportunities, risks and international responses

Abstract

This paper analyzes the strategic role of the Middle East in the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) - the New Silk Road initiated by China, clarifies the opportunities, risks and international responses surrounding China’s increasingly extensive presence in the region. With its geographical, energy and intercontinental connectivity advantages, the Middle East has become an essential node in the global connectivity structure that China is building through infrastructure investment, finance, energy and soft diplomacy. However, China also faces strategic risks such as political instability, competition among major powers, concerns about “debt traps”, and demands for transparency from host countries. The mixed responses from countries reflect the limits of the “apolitical” influence model that Beijing pursued. The Middle East was not only the strategic focus of the BRI but also the real test of China’s global ambition to establish a new international order based on connectivity, rather than confrontation.