The Palestinian accord and the visit of the Ukrainian foreign minister show China's growing influence
BEIJING: On consecutive days this week, China brokered a deal between rival Palestinian factions and hosted Ukraine's foreign minister as pressure mounted to negotiate an end to the peace war there.
Where others have failed and there has been little concrete progress towards peace in Ukraine, it is not clear whether the deal between Hamas and Fatah will succeed, but China has emerged victorious, strengthening its role as not only an economic power but also a diplomatic power on the global stage. .
As Beijing and Washington strive for influence around the world, China has been playing a role that was previously the domain of world powers such as the US and Russia. Earlier this month, Western countries called some of China's activities worrisome and labeled Beijing a troublemaker. But this week's events — and last year's China-brokered deal to restore ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia — show that international players are seeking Beijing's help, recognizing it as a diplomatic powerhouse.
“China is now presenting itself as a broker on the global stage, and countries are responding,” said Carla Freeman, senior China expert at the United States Institute of Peace. “This is recognition – much sought after by Beijing – that China has international influence and can play a role in improving the outcome of the diplomatic process.”
On Tuesday, Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed in principle to form a government, the last attempt to resolve a long-running rivalry over the future of Gaza after the war with Israel. Previous similar announcements have failed, but even getting the parties together in the same room was an achievement, said John Alterman, senior vice president and director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“They say, 'We did what no one else could do, no one saw coming,' and that in itself represents a victory,” he said.
Beijing has not publicly offered any concrete steps, such as a deadline for implementation or money for reconstruction, but the deal is another sign of China's influence in the Middle East — and a place the U.S. is maneuvering to avoid, Danny Russell said. Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Hamas officials have said they see China as a potential counterweight to the U.S., a staunch ally of their archenemy Israel.
“US influence over the major players in the Middle East remains substantial, but there is a new player in the game who is completely comfortable with Iran and Hamas,” Russell said, referring to the 2023 relationship between arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. Success.
Washington, meanwhile, is grappling with discontent at home over its position on the war in Gaza and hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, and its allies are also skeptical about US foreign policy commitments as the presidential race approaches. Beijing, on the other hand, celebrated.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed confidence Tuesday in a photo with top representatives of Hamas and Fatah. Chinese state media tabloid Global Times hailed the Palestinian accord as having “extraordinary significance”.
A day later, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also posed with Wang and said that China has a role for peace.
The agreement will bring hope and future to the Palestinian people and is an important step towards resolving the Palestinian issue and achieving peace and stability in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.
While some experts doubt the deal will succeed, Wang Jin, a Chinese scholar specializing in Israeli studies at Northwest University in the city of Xi'an, said the involvement of a non-Western power could inject “new energy” into solving the Israeli problem. The Palestine Struggle.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Matt Miller declined to comment on the announcement itself but said the U.S. has generally encouraged China to “exercise its influence on countries in the region — especially countries with whom we have relationships where we have relationships. t — to discourage any escalation in conflict.” to do.”
China has long sought more power on the global stage, and after Beijing successfully hosted the Olympics in 2009, it marked its global debut as a modern nation. This was a stark shift from what former leader Deng Xiaoping characterized as “keep a low profile” approach to Beijing's foreign policy.
Only a more self-assured and sometimes brash approach has been taken under leader Xi Jinping, who came to power in 2012. Under Xi, China has urged its diplomats to pursue “major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics” — a call. For Beijing to regain its historical status as a global power.
That means signature plans like the now-decade-old Belt and Road Initiative, under which the world's second-largest economy lends to developing countries, as well as newer ones like the Global Security Initiative, calling on China to bring its vision. The world's greatest security challenges.
The Palestinian accord is a symbol of Beijing's renewed influence in the Middle East, the Ukrainian foreign minister's visit may be linked to the uncertainty the US presidential election could bring for Ukraine and recognition that China is one of the three major players to engage with. , along with the US and the EU.
“I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China's strategic interests, and China's role as a global power is important for peace,” said Kuleba, a high-ranking Ukrainian official who will visit China after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. During the trip on Wednesday.
China is Russia's biggest ally, and while it insists it does not provide military aid to Moscow, it has maintained strong trade ties with its neighbor during the conflict. This includes technology that ends up in Russian hands.
But given China's strategic partnership with Russia — and the gradual advance of the Kremlin's military — Ukraine has approached Beijing cautiously, understanding that without its support a ceasefire deal that would benefit Kiev would remain out of reach.
Kuleba's visit was the result of calculations. The foreign minister sought to convince China that deepening ties with Ukraine would not only serve Kiev's interests, but also nurture Beijing's ambitions to become a serious player on the global stage.
“Going forward, if there is peace at all, the Ukrainians understand that China cannot be left out of the equation,” said James Char, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Derek Grossman, a senior analyst at the Rand Corporation think tank, said that while Beijing's influence is growing, it has a more cautious approach than the US.
For now, this may slow its growth.
Grossman said, “The past 12 years have shown that China is now a major power in the world. But even if they want to build their influence everywhere, “they don't want to be burdened with influence everywhere.”
