Dr Amrita Jash - China in the Middle East: Trends, Drivers and Implications

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Amrita Jash delivers a seminar on their research -  China’s evolving role in the Middle East is crucial for several reasons. While China’s growing influence in the Middle East is a recent but a significant trend with far-reaching consequences. Especially, against the China-brokered Saudi-Iran peace deal, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the tensions in the Red Sea and growing competition between China and the US, it has become imperative to understand how China is influencing the geopolitical landscape of Middle East. Once a distant observer, China has emerged as a key player in the region’s political and economic landscape, driven by its economic ambitions and growing global influence. While the region offers China opportunities, it also presents complex challenges. How China navigates these complexities is significant in shaping the future of the Middle East and the global order. The presentation will focus on the evolving nature of China’s engagement with the Middle East, the various dimensions of China’s engagement, and the implications of it. For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias