CPEC and the Belt and Road Initiative:Economic Implications for the Greater Middle East

This article aims to analyse the economic significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC),a core component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI),for the Greater Middle East with focus on Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,the United Arab Emirates(UAE),Qatar and Oman.In so doing,the article underscores on the one hand the existing economic cooperation between Pakistan and the said countries and on the other highlights China’s growing interest in the Arab World in terms of trade.In this respect,the study incorporates the economic values of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,Qatar National Vision(2030)and Oman Vision(2040)which provide for transregional economic cooperation in terms of market connectivity.In order to realise the latter,the CPEC,as part of the BRI,offers itself as means and market to transregional stakeholders.Empirically,the study posits that CPEC under the BRI framework carries positive economic implications for the Greater Middle East on account of existing and emerging investment and trade trends transregionally.Nonetheless,prospects for economic cooperation are beset with geopolitical challenges such as the recent Iran-US stand-off.The BRI,in remedial terms,can generate stakes for transregional(non-)BRI countries,especially Iran,India and the US in order to prefer peaceful means for conflict resolution.

The Oil Politics & Geopolitical Risks with China “Going out” Strategy toward the Greater Middle East

China-the Greater Middle East oil relations are of strategic importance to China’s energy security.Beijing’s energy security is mainly that of geopolitics in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA).As the geopolitical conflicts in the MENA are defined as long-running and insolvable in the foreseeable future,oil supplies from these regions are inevitably unstable,which exerts direct impact not only on international energy market and oil prices,but also on China’s energy security itself.Despite the substantial progress made over the years in China-the Greater Middle East energy cooperation,restrictive factors such as resource nationalism are many,obstructing further development in this regard.Up to date,major cooperative breakthroughs are yet to be achieved in China’s involvement in the exploration and production of the upstream sector in oil-rich Gulf countries.Pipeline politics is another challenge.Overall,China's incapability and policy for oil politics and geopolitical risks,the energy geopolitical risk will pose long-term impact on China's energy security.Accordingly,the paper tries to come up with some reflection concerning policies or policy proposals that may help to push China-the Greater Middle Eastern energy cooperation.

China’s Strategic Option:Approach the Greater Middle East through the Eurasian Hinterland

To eliminate the long-term threat to the northern and northwestern territories imposed by Huns in 138 B.C.,Liu Che,the Emperor of the Han Dynasty,sent Zhang Qian to go to Xiyu(the wild-west region)and tried to ally with Great Yüeh-chin,Huns’sworn enemy,so as to attack Huns from both east and west sides.As long as 13 years of his reign,Zhang Qian was captured and detained by the Huns twice,but he escaped successfully each time.He reached the regions known today as Uzbekistan,Kazakhstan and north of Afghanistan and some other places with thousands of miles journey.In 126 B.C.,Zhang Qian came back to Chang-An,the capital of the Han Dynasty.Unfortunately,only one person Tang Yifu out of over 100 members in the diplomatic team survived and returned with him.Of course,the diplomatic mission of allying Great Yüeh-chin was not fulfilled.However,Zhang Qian’s expedition to the West Regions was still of great importance.It is based on his geographic,cultural and social knowledge about the West Region that the continuous military actions initiated by the Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty succeeded finally.What’s more,Zhang Qian’s Expedition to the West Regions accelerated the cultural and economic exchanges between the East and the West,which influenced the development process of world history of civilization directly and continually(Fan,1964:86-89).Today,there is no immediate military threat to China’s northwest and north,while it is convenient for China to connect quickly with other countries and regions by the development of transport and communication technologies.Particularly,the acceleration of the globalization and innovation of the internet technology has even linked the most remote areas of China with the world.However,the geo-political factors in the hinterlands of the Eurasian continent still significantly exert impact on China’s security and development.Therefore,it is very necessary for China to make another and even more significant and extensive“Expedition to the West Regions”-to strategically approach the Greater Middle East through the hinterland.

Dialogue among Civilizations:A Close Look at the GreaterMiddle East Reform

“The Greater Middle East Reform”has always been a heatedly debated issue in the international community.Although the Arab-Islamic countries have aspired for reform toward modernization,their religious beliefs and nationalism have kept playing an essential role in shaping their political life.Therefore,they feel it hard to adopt the democratic system as the U.S.expects.This article analyzes the Arab-Islamic countries’perceptions on and reactions to the U.S.’s democratic transformation in the Middle East.This article also aims to draw Chinese scholars’attention to the Islamic culture as a key factor of regional diplomacy in the Middle East.

Middle Eastern Situation in a Changing World

With the changes of the international situation,the Obama administration has adjusted its foreign policy.Although the biggest change happens in the US Middle East policy,what has changed is not its strategy but tactics or manoeuvres.The adjusted Middle East policy is unlikely to be implemented in practice.The decline of the national power of the US weakens its leading role in the Middle East issue.Despite their recent development,hot-spot issues in the"Greater Middle East"such as the Palestine-Israel conflicts,the Afghan War,the Iraqi War and the Iranian nuclear issue shall anticipate no easy resolution because of their complexity and involution.

Adjustment of Obama’s Middle East Policy and the Trend of the Region’s Hot-spot Issues

There are three dynamics and five attributes for the Obama administration’s adjustment in its Middle East policy.The changing Middle East policy highlights the following points:shifting anti-terror battlefield from Iraq to Afghanistan,withdrawing troops from Iraq in a step-by-step manner,taking a positive attitude towards Palestine-Israel peace talks,striving to initiate a face-to-face dialogue with Iran,and settling international disputes by diplomatic means.However,the solution to Middle East hot-spot issues hinges on some uncertain factors which are the most important and most challenging part in the Obama administration’s foreign policy.