The Role of China in the Middle East’s Energy Market: A New Economic Powerhouse?

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_15How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Energy Geopolitics; China-Middle East Relations; Global Energy Markets

Abstract

China’s expanding presence in the Middle Eastern energy markets has emerged as a significant development in the 21st century, reflecting the country’s rapid economic growth and increasing energy demands. As the world’s largest energy consumer, China seeks to diversify its energy sources and secure long-term supply chains, leading to substantial investments and strategic partnerships in the Middle East. This paper aims to analyze China’s evolving role in the region’s energy markets and assess the geopolitical implications of its energy strategies, particularly about traditional Western dominance. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing case studies of China’s major energy investments and infrastructure projects in key countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. Data is drawn from secondary sources, including scholarly articles, international reports, and policy documents, to comprehensively understand the shift in global energy dynamics. The findings reveal that China’s strategic investments, facilitated through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, reshape the global energy landscape by diversifying energy flows, securing alternative supply routes, and forming robust alliances. China is challenging Western influence and creating a more multipolar energy market by integrating itself deeply into the region’s infrastructure. China’s approach to economic diplomacy, which prioritizes mutual benefit and long-term contracts, has also allowed it to navigate regional instability and political complexities effectively. This study contributes to the academic discourse on energy geopolitics by offering insights into China’s energy security strategies and their broader implications for global power dynamics.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zainab Jabbar Sawza Alhaddad
AU  - Tomi Sah
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/23
TI  - The Role of China in the Middle East’s Energy Market: A New Economic Powerhouse?
BT  - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Economics, Management, Accounting, and Business Digital (ICEMAB 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 107
EP  - 115
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-614-7_15
ID  - Alhaddad2024
ER  -