China’s balance wins Mideast respect

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off a state visit to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran Tuesday. Shortly before the scheduled visits, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran. However, with both Riyadh and Tehran rolling out the red carpet, the visits will be carried out as planned. China has maintained friendly cooperative relations with all Middle Eastern countries, rare among big powers. It is difficult for major powers to steer clear of being embroiled in this region of tangled interests. China is no exception. But so far, China has managed to maintain balanced diplomacy in the region, which deserves high credit. The importance of the Middle East and China to each other is growing. China has been one of the largest importers of oil from and a major supplier of daily necessities to the Middle East. Though charting different development path, the two sides give each other high attention. The 20 million Muslims in China not only help weave the bilateral ties but also make it impossible for China to detach itself from hotspots in the region. China sticks to the philosophy of steady development, coordination and balanced management of diverse interests and problems. Its diplomatic principles are bound to be put to the test in the Middle East. China respects all countries, seeking win-win development and never puts its interests beyond those of the Middle Eastern countries. It does not interfere in their development path, which earns China respect from regional states. Since oil was found in the Middle East, major global powers have come to the region with cultural superiority and strategies. Their national interests are placed above those of the Middle Eastern countries. The Middle East countries are not on an equal footing in the alliance with external powers. It is hard for small states, usually treated as a pawn by large external powers, to have freedom in terms of politics and diplomacy. Middle Eastern countries have felt an unprecedented sense of equality in their communications with China. China has never taken advantage of other countries' difficulties to increase its heft, nor does it seek predominance in the Middle East. Some predict that China will convert this equal cooperation with the Middle East into geopolitical ties. Others hold that China advocating equality among countries is only a pretence, and a temporary tactic during China's rise. These are misinterpretations. The whole region and the world are expecting China to play a bigger role in the Middle East. China could insist on its principles and expand its role steadily. As long as the demand is real, and China responds to it with goodwill, it will not reduce itself to a passive position.