China Dips a Toe Into Middle East Peace

By hosting Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu, China may be considering a more active role in Middle East diplomacy. The leaders of the Palestine Authority and Israel did not meet in China. “As China’s economy, national strength and international status grow, Arab countries are looking more to China,” suggests Guo Xiangang of the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. China remains cautious about involvement in the conflict, presenting a mundane four-point plan to Abbas while President Xi Jinping reiterated Israel’s right to exist with reasonable security. China’s ability to act in the region is complicated by its opposition to military strikes on Syria or Iran, border disputes at home, and a general policy to avoid entanglement in far-off disputes, report Edward Wong and Chris Buckley for the New York Times. Dependent on both growing trade and Middle East oil, China is keen to maintain balanced relations with Israel and Palestine, but so far offers no big initiatives for peace. – YaleGlobal