China's Middle East Policy and Its Rivalry with the United States

This article deals with China’s Middle East policy and its rivalry with the United States in the region. The main question is what factors determine China’s Middle East policy and its rivalry with the United States. The main hypothesis involves that the three variables including China’s energy dependence on the Middle East, economy and support for stability in the Middle East comprise the influential variables in China’s Middle East policy. There is an essential difference in Chinese and American approaches to the treatment of Middle Eastern countries. China is committed to the Westphalian model based on non-intervention in the domestic affairs of the countries and respect for state sovereignty, whereas the United States after September 11th seeks to strike a balance between stability and change through intervention in the internal affairs of states and, on occasion, through regime change. This paper is founded upon an assumption which is articulated as China is a rising power with high economic growth rate, necessitating further energy security. A rising power tends to cause concerns for the hegemonic power in the region.