China's involvement in Middle East affairs, including the Iran nuclear issue, has been growing in recent years, and its policies toward the region are attracting more and more attention. As part of its overall international strategy of peaceful development, China's Middle East policy is determined by a variety of considerations.

Domestic economic development is, and will remain for some time, a primary factor shaping Beijing's policy toward the region. China's economic achievements over the last three decades have been eye-catching, but if assessed in per capita terms, China still remains a relatively poor country. The Middle East is of great importance for China's development and the living standards of the Chinese people

Energy cooperation is certainly a factor in China-Middle East relations, but is far from being the whole story. The Middle East is a major supplier of resources to the global economy, and will remain of key importance to China's sustainable development as a major manufacturing power, since more than half of China's oil supply comes directly from the region.

But China's quest for stable energy supplies should not be understood as seeking cooperation with a single oil producer. Every time the Iran nuclear issue rises up the international agenda, the western press analyses China's position in terms of its energy cooperation with Iran. China regards Iran as an important partner in energy cooperation, but the region as a whole is more important. China's energy supplies do not depend on one country alone but on the Middle East region as a whole.

The Middle East is also one of the most important destinations for China's labor-intensive products. And the gulf countries, rich in capital but short of labor, are a particularly important market for China's contract labor exports.

The Middle East is also a region where Beijing can demonstrate its role as a responsible power. China's diplomacy in recent years indicates that it regards participation in the peaceful solution of regional disputes as a significant part of its strategy of national image-building. This is in sharp contrast with its support for national liberation movements in the 1950s-1970s.

Beijing's active participation in the six-party mechanism on the Iran nuclear issue since early 2006 is one of many recent two-way interactions between China and the west, and a sign of China's gradual integration into the world. The West's willingness to include China in the mechanism reflects its recognition of China's growing weight in international affairs, and its concern that economic interests might lead Beijing to dilute international pressure on Tehran.

China's willingness to get involved can be attributed to two factors: on the one hand, China like other major powers considers nuclear proliferation as against its national interests, and believes it will further complicate the situation in a region that is crucial in maintaining a stable supply of energy. On the other hand, China has economic interests in Iran, and therefore, has a stake in the peaceful solution of the issue.

China's efforts in the Middle East peace process are also worth mentioning. China is not a part of the Quartet addressing the Palestine-Israel conflict, but since 2002, China has appointed three special envoys on the issue. Their mediating efforts among the parties have helped prevent the escalation of tensions.

Besides economic cooperation and national image building, factors shaping China's Middle East policy also include its national identity as a developing country, its belief that international disputes should be resolved by peaceful means, and its interaction with the U.S. and other major world players.

With China's influence in the Middle East growing, interactions between China and the West on regional issues will increase. A comprehensive understanding of China's Middle East policy by the West has never been so important. Like other major players, China's policy toward the region is the result of a calculation of its various interests and responsibilities.

China's position on the Iran nuclear issue, including its opposition to nuclear proliferation and its insistence on a diplomatic solution, are the outcome of complex considerations. Energy security is one factor, but has never been the most important.

Dr. Jin Liangxiang is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/node_7075400.htm

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