Summary of the presentation “China’s Foreign Policy in the Middle East”

On March 10 Dr. Cesar Castilla delivered an in-house presentation entitled “Chinese Foreign Policy in the Middle East”. This event marked the end of his stay at ISDP, where he has been a Guest Researcher for five weeks. Dr. Castilla returns to Quito, Ecuador, at the end of this week, where he is part of the Faculty of Political Sciences at Universidad de Los Hemisferios.

Dr. Castilla’s presentation provided a general account of Chinese involvement in the Middle East. Through the use of a neorealist theoretical foundation, he analyzed how China’s recent rise has impacted on the ways in which economic and military relations take place in the region. Amongst many of the points raised by Dr. Castilla during his presentation, one that stood out was his belief that China must adopt a neutral position towards Sunni and Shia countries if it wants to play a positive role in the Middle East.

The event was followed by a question and answer session, where participants further discussed issues related to China’s energy security, export markets and military ties in the Middle East.

We would like to thank Dr. Castillas for his valuable intellectual contribution and wish him the best of luck in the future.