China’s role in the Middle East is increasing, but can it be a peacemaker between Palestinians and Israelis?
After China negotiated a detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year, it was expected that it could use its economic influence to play a greater diplomatic role on the Palestine-Israel issue. .
Chinese officials have criticized Israel for going beyond self-defense in its war in Gaza, killing more than 36,000 Palestinians and rendering the enclave uninhabitable. Former Chinese government adviser Huiyao Wang, president of the Center for China and Globalization, said the United States’ role in the conflict has been “incompetent.”
Wang speaks with Steve Clemons about how China’s approach to peace in the Middle East differs from the Western approach.