Energy security interests and an expanding commercial footprint in the region give Beijing a strong economic incentive for a peaceful and stable Middle East. While Beijing will not play a military role, Chinese leaders have recently demonstrated willingness to engage more actively in peaceful negotiations and political resolutions to the region’s complex and longstanding issues.

In the second half of their two-part podcast, Paul Haenle and Wu Bingbing discussed Beijing’s perspective on the Iran nuclear talks and Chinese efforts to enhance military cooperation with Tehran. Wu underscored China’s desire for negotiations with Iran to produce a final deal that will reduce regional tensions and benefit all involved parties. He also explained that closer military ties with Iran are part of Beijing’s broader effort to develop closer relations with Middle Eastern countries to better reflect China’s expanding interests and more proactive role in the region.

Wu Bingbing

Wu Bingbing is a research fellow at Peking University’s Institute for International and Strategic Studies, deputy director of the university’s Department of Arabic Language and Culture, and director of the university’s Institute of Arab-Islamic Studies. His research interests focus on contemporary Middle Eastern politics, Chinese–Middle Eastern relations, Shia Islam and Iranian studies, and Islamic culture.

Paul Haenle

Paul Haenle is the director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. Prior to joining Carnegie, he served from June 2007 to June 2009 as the director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolian Affairs on the National Security Council staffs of former president George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.