Event Details

Dr Andrea Ghiselli of Exteter University joint Lancaster University China Centre for a talk on his new book on China and the Middle East, co-authored with Mohammed Alsudairi

Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures attempts to discern the future trajectory and endpoint of Sino-Middle Eastern relations – are we on the precipice of a post-American Chinese hegemony in the region? Or are we reaching the outer limits of what is feasible within what are essentially transactional ties? Drawing on a wide range of multilingual sources from 2010 to 2023, and based on a framework of thin constructivism, the Element delves into the Saudi, Syrian and Chinese elite narratives regarding the Middle Eastern regional order and China's envisaged place within it. By centering local perspectives, it offers insights into how these actors –with diverse positionalities in the region (vis-à-vis the United States) and different national capabilities– are debating the future of China in the Middle East, and what the juxtaposition of their multiple narratives mean for where things are headed. This title is available Open Access on Cambridge Core.