Preservation, Prosperity, and Power in China's Middle East Foreign Policy

This article seeks to examine the motives behind China’s active foreign policy toward the Middle East, using Fei-Ling Wang’s incentive structure of preservation (of its own political power), (economic) prosperity and (greater international) power. It argues that the political preservation of the Chinese Communist Party regime, China’s economic prosperity and China’s pursuit of power are three basic motives that shape China’s relations with Middle Eastern countries. On the preservation front, continued economic growth, Beijing’s policy of non-interference, and the importance of territorial integrity influence Sino-Middle Eastern relations. These relations reflect also China’s prosperity interests since the Middle East provides China with the bulk of its oil imports and a market for manufactured products. Finally, China’s relations with this region play an important role in its power calculations