The Far East Meets the Middle: Examining China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence

Around the World,” leading experts discuss China’s growing influence in

the Middle East. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie

Filipetti speaks with Associate Professor of National Security Strategy

at the National War College Dr. Dawn Murphy, Managing Director and

Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Michael Singh, and Craig Singleton, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for

Defense of Democracies to discuss China’s growing influence in the

Middle East.

In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the

Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese

Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode

in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how

it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship

with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can

and should be doing to better protect and advance our national

interests.

00:00:00 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti

00:01:36 China’s response to Hamas’ attacks & the ensuing war in Gaza

00:05:59 China’s strategic loss of Israel after October 7th

00:08:17 CCP objectives for regional influence & supplanting U.S. role in the Middle East

00:15:20 Future of the Israeli-China relationship

00:20:18 Discrepancy between internal & external CCP statements

00:23:55 America’s evolving strategic role in the Middle East

00:28:20 China’s perspective on the Abraham Accords & eroding leverage over Iran

00:36:24 Tripartite dynamic between Russia, China, & Iran

00:45:10 CCP amplification of antisemitism via TikTok

00:50:15 False binary between the United States & China

00:55:54 U.S. Chinese competition in the Middle East

01:00:55 Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti