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Source: http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/363-yellnik-chinas-new-position-middle-east/
China's New Position on the Middle East
(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Roie Yellinek - Earlier this year Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tehran, Riyadh, and Cairo, following its approach of "talking with all sides and trading with all states." The Gulf region provides China with a third of its natural gas supply and 52% of its oil supply. Any deterioration of the Sunni-Shia struggle into violent conflict thus threatens to paralyze the Chinese economy. China's interest in the region is also connected to the Chinese president's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which seeks to link China to Europe via the shortest possible routes, including the Middle East. Its cost is estimated at many hundreds of billions of dollars and any violent conflict in the Middle East might lay waste to an enormous investment. The visit of the Chinese president was intended to preserve the status quo and prevent deterioration. Another aspect of China's new Middle Eastern policy is the legislation passed in December 2015 permitting the Chinese army to carry out anti-terror operations outside Chinese borders, with the agreement of the country in which the operations are to be conducted. This law paves the way for China to play a more meaningful role in the fight against Islamic State or any other organization harming international stability.