United Press International, BEIJING: China's newly appointed special envoy to the Middle East Sun Bigan begins work Saturday with few analysts expecting any immediate change in PRC regional policy.
The People's Republic of China goals in the Middle East are driven by one dominant concern: access to energy supplies. It pursues this policy with moves that are a masterful combination of subtlety and stealth falling off most radar screens.
“I think China's strategic interests in the Middle East are clear to all,” said Wang Shijie, the man stepping down after three and a half years in the post.
“China is now pushing forward its reform and opening up policy and trying to develop its economy therefore what we need is a peaceful international environment…peace in the Middle East has a direct impact on this, he added.”
The departing envoy stated: “Our strategic interest is for peace and stability in the Middle East.” He did not explicitly mention energy security, however little else aside from accessing crude oil and natural gas resources, making arms sales to the region plus obtaining technology transfers with military applications from Israel is of direct concern to PRC policy planners, according to most analysts.
Wang noted, “China enjoys traditional and solid friendship and cooperation in various fields will all countries in the Middle East.” He said pushing forward such goals “with countries in that region is where our strategic interests lie.”
This week was a classic example of China making noise of little consequence sitting on the fence concerning high profile intractable issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian and conflict in Iraq while continuing to offer quiet stalwart support to energy resource rich rogue regimes in Sudan and Iran.
The Chinese response to the role it sees for itself in the Arab-Israeli dispute and stance on Hamas illustrates this point. The outgoing envoy fielded the questions rather than the letting new official taking up the post say where the PRC position was headed.
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