Amidst the recent cooling of relations between the United States and China, China has actively sought to position itself as a leader advocating for an emerging, alternative multilateral order and as a responsible global power. The Middle East has become a pivotal arena for China to showcase its diplomatic prowess in this endeavor.

In March last year, China scored a diplomatic achievement by brokering a deal to restore diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after decades of hostility and a formal cutting of ties between the two regional powers in 2016.

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Chinese officials and media outlets are tending towards a pro-Palestinian stance, at least partly as a strategic move to garner favor with the Arab world’s population.

For an in-depth exploration of China’s role in the Middle East and its aspirations to shape the world order, The Danish Foreign Policy Society is honored to host an insightful talk featuring Dr. Andrew Scobell and Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen.

Dr. Andrew Scobell is a Distinguished Fellow at United States Institute of Peace, where he specializes in China’s armed forces and defense policy and China’s foreign relations with countries and regions around the world with a particular emphasis on the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, Ph.d. is a researcher at the Danish Defense Academy, where she conducts research on international politics and foreign and security policy analysis with a particular focus on China as a great power actor and on security and military strategic developments in East Asia.

Scobell and Sørensen’s talk will be followed by a questions and answers section, providing an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the topics discussed.