China and Russia Maneuver in the Middle East
According to this CSS Analysis by Lisa Watanabe, as the US recalibrates its Middle Eastern engagements, Russia and China are building up their presence in the region. While not seeking to supplant the US, both powers will need to be increasingly taken into account by Europe as the latter seeks to advance its interests in the Middle East.
As the US is adjusting the form of its engagement in the Middle East, other external actors are in the process of stepping up theirs. For the last two decades, Russia has been reviving its relations with regional states and has benefitted from Washington’s reluctance to engage in the region. Yet, Russia is not the only major power to increase its presence in the Middle East. China too has been augmenting its involvement in the region over the past twenty years, especially within the context of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Its increased engagement tends to be seen through the lens of geo-economics, but its role has become more multifaceted, with a growing security dimension.