Beijing’s expanding role in the Middle East has of late received much attention. China imports nearly half its oil from the monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula, has been helping Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates develop nuclear technology, and brokered an agreement between Riyadh and Tehran. But 2023 has also seen visits to the Persian Gulf by the prime ministers of Japan, South Korea, and India. Jonathan Fulton comments:
In 2013, China’s import of Gulf crude oil was valued at $61.3 billion. Other Asian powers were not far behind. Also in 2013, Gulf oil exports to Japan were valued at $38 billion and represented 90 percent of its oil imports, India imported $25 billion in Gulf oil (52 percent of its crude imports), and Korea imported $25 billion of Gulf oil, representing over 80 percent of Korea’s crude imports.
The geopolitical [implications] are important. Japan, India, and Korea each have a different relationship with Beijing, while sharing concerns about China’s political and economic practices and its vision for international order. The three have much to offer the Gulf countries in their developmental agendas. And all are aligned with Washington (though India less so). As great-power competition comes to the Gulf, inter-Asian rivalries will be an important new dynamic for the region.
That [the three] are U.S. allies and partners with shared concerns about China’s approach to the international order indicates that there is room for cooperation among them in coordinating their Gulf policies. One example of this potential is the I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, and U.S.) initiative, which provides a glimpse of what greater Asian participation in Middle Eastern affairs could look like.
Read more on Jerusalem Strategic Tribune: https://jstribune.com/fulton-growing-asian-ties-to-the-gulf/