Arabs and China... Links to a changing world

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It has become certain that China has become a difficult figure in the international equation, and perhaps those who followed the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington last week have established in their minds how Beijing has become, in one way or another, a weight in international relations, and that Washington views its rise with an eye not to fighting the facts, but rather dealing with them. We in the Arab world can be certain that Ping’s visit and his meeting with Trump established calm and management of the rivalry between the two powers, without ending the major differences, that is, establishing a truce. A strategy, not a final reconciliation. The talk of a truce between Beijing and Washington actually opens paths for the rest of the world to discuss developments in diplomatic relations, in a framework outside the idea of traditional international bilateralism, and more in conflict with the pluralist vision of a multilateral and diverse world. This starting point makes us in the Arab world wonder: “What about our relationship with the United States of America, on the one hand, and what are the consequences of developments in the Arab-Chinese scene, on more than one level, on the other hand?”

In these lines, we are more inclined to address the issue of Arab-Chinese relations, with a promise to return again to the American-Middle Eastern scene, about which there has been a lot of talk recently. To begin with, it can be said that the history of communication with China and the Chinese goes back to long centuries ago, and long before the appearance of oil and gas. The Arabs and Chinese have witnessed historical paths of life, which can be described without understatement or exaggeration as extending from the ancient Silk Road to the new digital Silk Road, with all its requirements of artificial intelligence, energy and technology. Is there a foundation? Certainly, on which a developed phase of these relations can be built? Absolutely yes, especially since the political discourse between Beijing and the majority, if not all, of the Arab capitals believes that the time has come for a new world order, more just and equal, without any superiority, and, to the same extent, far from the centralization of one state, manipulating the capabilities of humanity. Here China appears to be an element of attraction for many international geographic blocs, especially in light of the lines it extends to the suffering world of the South, where the serfs of the land suffer to this day from disparities. In capabilities. In this case, the Arab-Chinese convergence is possible, and the influences of medium-power countries are activated, within a new framework of expanding the movement of the borders, even if there is not a single center, but rather multiple centers of world leadership, in the positive sense, and not its leadership in the authoritarian sense.

The Arab world can meet with China around the idea of ​​respecting the Westphalian state and rejecting external interference in the internal affairs of nations and peoples. This is something that Arab pens and tongues have always addressed, and regimes and leaders have demanded, and today the urgent need for it is strongly evident, especially in light of the unprecedented state of chaos that is spreading throughout the blue planet, and is causing more literary and material tragedies alike. It can also be confirmed that China, according to its most recent vision of the world, is no longer with its arms crossed, but rather has become an important party in the Middle Eastern security equation, and no longer views the region as a source of oil and gas, the two elements that constitute the mainstay of its polar awakening. Rather, it has come to see that it must have a diplomatic presence and institutional partnership, even if it wants the matter to remain within a realm of calm and without fuss and noise, as is the case with other capitals and worlds that have political weight. Known. Those who have knowledge of the book of Chinese philosophy historically, from the first wise Confucius, through Mencius, and all the way to Sun Tzu, see a widespread presence of the idea of dialogue and diplomacy, and their primacy over conflict, and entering into military confrontations, which is what Arab capitals demand, in the face of all historical divisive issues. For example, what draws attention in this context is China’s position on the Palestinian issue, and its permanent calls for a settlement based on the two-state solution and the resolutions of the United Nations. United Nations, while considering with all importance and seriousness the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.

The Palestinian issue, then, represents an important point in drawing the map of Chinese-Arab relations, in the midst of the current climate, and opens a new Asian door that supports achieving justice for the historically oppressed, which is what the Arab countries have been calling for for a long time. China knows the great extent of the Arab presence historically and culturally, and above that, Beijing realizes the vital importance of the Arabian Gulf and the rest of the Middle East, as a source of gas and oil, the core of China’s contemporary industries and renaissance. Hence, the energy pillar remains an essential pillar in its relations. On both sides, China wants a continuous and stable source that keeps its economic wheel turning with energy, and the Arab countries, in turn, have a historical interest in finding large markets thirsty for oil and international prices, which undoubtedly reflects positively on Arab development rates. This part deserves special attention, because Arab-Chinese cooperation in the field of energy has gone beyond the idea of exporting and importing raw materials, to reach the establishment of modern petrochemical industries, and China has truly excelled in this context, and from there it can The Arab world must find a new outlet for contemporary goods and away from the old market propositions for abstract raw materials. Is there a specific aspect in which China excels, and which can provide peace and coldness in the coming days for the Arab countries? The answer is in one word: artificial intelligence, as China has become an unprecedentedly advanced technological force, especially in light of the availability of rare metal materials, which are used in the manufacture of industrial chips, which lead the world in its present and strongly shape its future.

It may be a fateful or objective coincidence that the deserts and valleys of the Arab world are full of those elements around which the world is struggling at the present time, and accordingly, paths of cooperation are opened between the two sides, on the path to a better life for the peoples, and without confrontational competition that leads to quarrels and disputes. China has a supreme interest in the Arabian Gulf and the rest of the northern Mediterranean countries, because a cornerstone of its polar strategy is based on the “Belt and Road” project, and without underestimating or underestimating it. Exaggeration, you will not find a location or place around the world that is characterized by the advantages of geography like the countries of the region that connect the east of the world to its west, through straits and corridors, rivers and seas that ultimately lead to the world’s oceans, where global trade takes place. In this context, Arab-Chinese logistical cooperation can be viewed, through ports as Middle Eastern meeting points, and halfway between Asia and Europe, all the way to Latin America and the United States, as strengths in the Arab world file that China recognizes, and that are suitable for enhancing the readiness of our Arab world to extend Bridges east and west. China has succeeded, in five decades, that is, since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, in transforming into a major industrial power that today occupies a high position in the international economy. In this transformation, a wonderful and pioneering experience whose spirit can be inspired by Arabs at all levels. However, the question that may concern some is: “Does this relationship necessarily mean a stumbling block in the way of good to excellent levels with the rest of the world’s capitals, especially Washington and Brussels?” Absolutely not. What is required is to control distances, without the national decision being dependent on any party, whether east or west.