Dragon tale

China is becoming a power broker in the Middle East, however, the real test of Beijing is yet to come. The Chinese-brokered landmark accord between Saudi Arabia and Iran after a thaw of seven years since 2016 formalized the agreement to restore diplomatic relations and bury the hatchet between the two countries.Rather than giving credence to any claims that China has brokered peace, we should view it as yet another exercise of the Chinese propaganda machine, said Global Strat View. The global perception of China taking a more active stance in world politics may be something of an exaggeration. China is happy to take advantage of enhancing trade cooperation with all parties while not taking any sides on sensitive issues.China has long been adept at the art of declaring victory to end sensitive issues and giving world powers an excuse to step down from confrontation. At the heart of the matter, maintaining common interests has always been an effective way to whitewash over long-standing contradictions. If the struggling and rich economies of the middle east allow China to replicate its debt traps in the region and churn out shoddy infrastructure, the inequalities and resultant increase in oppression from authoritarian regimes will increase instability, reported Global Strat View.With Saudi Arabia becoming the second largest recipient of the Belt and Road Initiative investment globally, China is increasingly aligning its goals with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). While it is impossible to predict the region’s geopolitics, Iran’s increasing dissatisfaction with Beijing is becoming more apparent. It is yet to become clear to what extent Chinese investment can smooth over these hurdles.