Friday, 29 January 2016

China's long game in West Asia

Previously, Chinese didn’t want to get swamped in the complex geopolitics of the region at a time when its primary focus was on economic development. There’s a growing consensus in Beijing that the passive foreign policy of the rising years has to be upgraded to a pro-active approach that suits the country’s big power ambitions.
Now China is moving its pivot to Persia because of following factors:

  • China is the largest importer of oil.
  • Iran and West Asia holds the key for China's One Belt, One Road initiative.
  • US has no influence in Iran.
  • Even when complying with international sanctions, it expanded ties with Iran so that it would be better placed than any other power in a post-sanctions Iran. (India did the opposite, and failed to retain the balance between Western pressure and ties with Iran during the sanctions era.)

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