CHINA’S GROWING INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This paper discusses the growing role of China in the Middle East by observing its interactions in terms of economy, diplomacy, and strategy in the region within the last 20 years. It further analyzes how China’s energy dependency, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments, and deepening trade partnerships are reshaping regional alignments and challenging traditional power structures in the region. The main research focus is on the effect of the growing economic and strategic involvement of China in the Middle East, including regional equilibrium and geopolitics of the world. A qualitative structural analysis that relies on document-based scrutiny and review of the policies and the papers are the key consideration for the current research. The study examines the approach to careful yet aggressive growth of China's strategic presence, but within the strategy of non-interference in the affairs of other powers. The analysis shows that the Chinese economic projects have not only elevated their bargaining power without being directly militarily involvement but are in line with their quest for a multilateral world. Nevertheless, the paper also cites major thorns such as regional uncertainties, local financial strains, and inability to make much security effort that can limit the capacity of China to exercise power in its full dimension in the region. The paper contributes to a nuanced understandingof the changing role of China in the Middle East in a more complex way and provides ideas to scholars and policymakers who are evaluating its effects.