China’s Economic Diplomacy in the Arab Region Through the Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

This thesis investigates China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) currently being implemented in the Arab region. It aims to add to the scarce literature produced in the region about the BRI. I set out to understand the role of the BRI in redefining China’s foreign policy in the region and analyze perceptions towards China in the region. To achieve this, the thesis draws a historical overview of Sino-Arab Relations, then provides an in-depth discussion of the two main policy documents produced by the Chinese government, the ‘Arab Policy Paper’ and ‘Actions and Visions,’ and contextualizes them within this partnership. The major contribution of this work is the mapping of Sino-Arab partnerships under the BRI and plotting of strategic cooperation frameworks. By taking economic diplomacy as a theoretical lens, I argue that Beijing’s foreign policy in the region, unlike its previous formulations, has become comprehensive and strategic following the introduction of the BRI. Therefore, Beijing’s policy in the region revolves around the BRI and is primarily driven by economic imperatives. The Arab region that extends over the Middle East and North Africa is a key geostrategic location of the BRI land and sea routes. Oil-rich countries in the region ensure China’s energy security needs and are vital to the implementation of the BRI. Trade is another aspect of this intensified collaboration, with Chinese consumer products being very attractive to Arab markets. In 2020 alone, trade between China and Arab countries amounted to USD 280 billion. China’s most important partners in the region are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria and Egypt. From a regional perspective, Arab states seek to intensify economic collaboration with Beijing under the BRI to diversify their economic relations and fulfill their national visions. They do not perceive China as a security actor therefore relations under this realm are minimal. I finally conclude by looking into the different responses coming from Arab states and societies in relation to the BRI. Reactions at the state level range from economic partnerships aimed at attenuating dependency from the West, while at the same time maintaining the established security architecture, to an eastward march towards a different regional order. Parallel to that, China’s favorability by Arab societies is on the rise.