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As US-Iran war shows, China’s influence can’t secure its line to Gulf oil

As US-Iran war shows, China’s influence can’t secure its line to Gulf oil

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Opinion

The conflict has made clear the limits of China’s efforts to cultivate commercial and diplomatic clout among its energy suppliers in the Middle East

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi shaking hands with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. Photo: AFP

Marco Vicenzino specialises in geopolitical risk and international business development.

China is becoming increasingly important to the Gulf’s economic future. Yet the Gulf remains capable of disrupting China’s own.

That is the contradiction exposed by the US-Iran war. Beijing’s importance as an energy customer, investor and technology partner has grown, but its ability to guarantee the maritime routes connecting the Middle East to East Asia remains limited.

The next contest in global energy will concern not only who produces and consumes it, but who can preserve access when geopolitical conditions deteriorate.


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