Israel-Gaza war: China should boost Middle East ties to push peace process, tackle ‘great power’ rivalry, ex-envoy says
- Wu Sike, special envoy for the Middle East from 2009 to 2014, says China can bank on ‘long-standing’ friendly ties as strategic support in the region
- China must ‘elaborately strategise’ in advancing peace process as Israel-Hamas conflict poses threat to regional security, Wu tells forum in Beijing
Wu Sike, Beijing’s special envoy for Middle East affairs from 2009 to 2014, said spillovers of the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas were posing a serious threat to regional security.
Strengthening China’s “long-standing friendly relationships” with Middle Eastern nations at this point in time would also help it to tackle the “great power” rivalries over the resource-rich region, Wu told a forum in Beijing on Monday.
The Middle East had always been a hotly contested spot for big power influence due to its “unique strategic location and resource endowment”, Wu said in a virtual address to the event organised by the Chongyang Insititute for Financial Studies think tank at Renmin University.
“The Middle East can be a strategic support for China to cope with the game of great powers and [that] is where we have strategic partners for our national rejuvenation,” he said, referring to a catchphrase frequently used by Beijing.
“We need to elaborately strategise [in the region] and actively participate in advancing the peace process in the Middle East.”