Palestinians Welcome China’s New Middle East Role, but It Is Not Mediation They Need
by Ramzy
Baroud Posted on August 18, 2023
It is feasible for China to continue playing an
important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In
the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly
the issue. Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia
and Iran last April, Chinese diplomacy has shown exceptional maturity. For many
years, China has been perceived to be an outsider to global affairs, supposedly
contending itself to economic expansion or to regional economic integration.
Former US President Donald Trump forced, or rather, accelerated China’s global
outreach when, in 2018, he launched an unprecedented trade war on the powerful Asian
country. Trump’s plan backfired. Not only did Washington fail to dissuade
Beijing from bowing to American diktats, it also inspired what became known as
China’s wolf diplomacy – a self-assertive Chinese approach to foreign policy.
From an American – or Western – viewpoint, the new tactic was perceived to
be hostile and aggressive. But from a Chinese perspective, the new policy was
necessitated by the relentless war launched against China by successive US
administrations, along with their Western allies. The Russia-Ukraine war,
however, accentuated China’s role in international conflicts and diplomacy.
Though Beijing’s “12-point peace proposal” last March failed to impress the West and was
superficially welcomed by Moscow, the proposal highlighted an important shift.
The fact that China found it necessary to develop an elaborate political
position as a potential mediator conveyed that China is no longer content with
playing the role of the supporting actor in international forums. China’s
diplomacy was dismissed by many, especially in Western media and
politics, as a non-starter, if at all serious or even well-intentioned. Merely
three weeks later, the Chinese-brokered Iran-Saudi agreement took place. Major political actors in the
region, including Washington, appeared to be taken by surprise. The Chinese
success story was juxtaposed by many journalists in the Global South, to
Washington’s conflict-prone, dead-end diplomacy in the Middle East. Buoyed by
its success, China ventured further into new diplomatic territories, offering to mediate between Israel and Palestine. The
Palestinians welcomed a Chinese role; the Israelis were disinterested. The Chinese government is aware of the near
impossibility of engaging both Palestinians and Israelis in genuine peace
talks. Though Palestinians are desperate to escape or, at least, balance out
Washington’s hegemony, it is not in Israel’s interest to abandon its greatest
political benefactor, financier and military backer – the United States. Though
China and Israel have developed relatively strong economic and, for China,
strategic ties, in recent years, Beijing’s geopolitical worth for Tel Aviv is
simply incomparable to that of Washington. It would also make little sense for
Tel Aviv to grant Beijing any political leverage at a time of geopolitical
transitions, especially because China has historically supported the
Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom. Indeed, for decades, China served as a vanguard for the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) and, later, the State of Palestine at the United Nations,
insisting on the respect and implementation of international laws relevant to
ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Unsurprisingly, China recognized the
PLO’s political status in 1965 and the State of Palestine in 1988. Now, China
is pushing for full Palestinian membership in the international body. The
Chinese position was fundamental to Beijing’s strategic alliances in the Global
South in previous decades. The economic growth of China and its integration
into a Western-centric economic system, starting in 1978, progressively weakened China’s trade and
political relevance in the Global South. This process, however, is being
reversed, not only because of Washington’s trade war, and the hesitance of Western countries to join Beijing’s Belt and
Road initiative, but because of the US-led Western sanctions on Moscow. The
Western economic war on Russia is an urgent reminder to China that it cannot
fully rely on Western markets and financial systems. China’s slow drift from a
Western-centric economic system is being coupled with a whole new approach to
foreign policy – “wolf diplomacy” in the West, and a gentler, kinder approach
in the Global South. Even before former Foreign Minister of China, Qin Gang phoned his Palestinian and Israeli counterparts,
offering mediation, China had already introduced a peace initiative known as the four-point
proposal. The proposal highlighted China’s readiness to move past its role as a
trade partner into that of a political actor on the global stage. For China,
this was not only a matter of prestige, as various Muslim and Arab countries,
along with Israel, are critical parties in the ambitious BRI
project. In recent months, however, China’s interest in being a peace mediator
increased exponentially, especially amid the near total absence of Washington,
the self-proclaimed “honest peace broker.” China has also shown a willingness to mediate between rival
Palestinian groups. That, too, ushers in an evolution in China’s approach to
Palestinian politics. However, it will not be easy. The Palestinian Authority’s
(PA) financial well-being – and political future – is largely linked to
Washington and other Western capitals. Though Palestinian officials, the like
of Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, are threatening to “turn to China” due to the PA’s
“disappointment” in Washington, such a shift will not be permitted, if not by
Washington, then by Tel Aviv itself. The visit in June by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to
Beijing, although touted by the PA-run media as an earth-shattering event, will
not be a game changer. True, it highlights China’s growing interests in
Palestine, but it is unlikely to be followed by substantive action on the part
of the Palestinian leadership. Palestinians need China, as they need other
powerful players in the Global South, but it is not mediation that they
desperately require. Mediations do not end military occupations or dismantle
apartheid regimes. Instead, Palestinians need solidarity. The major changes
underway in the world’s geopolitical map, and the rising importance of the Global South present Palestinians with
unique opportunities to break away from US-Western hegemony and to reconnect
with Palestine’s true strategic depth in Asia, Africa, South America, and the
rest of the world. For this to occur, Palestinians must present their cause as
one united front, not as political fragments and factions. Only then, emerging
powers can view Palestine as a serious geopolitical asset in a vastly changing
world.
Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the
Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest
book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak
Out. His other books include My Father was a Freedom Fighter and The
Last Earth. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center
for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.
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