Beijing ¨C China has cast itself as a neutral geopolitical player in the Middle East. It brokered a deal in March to help Iran and Saudi Arabia restore relations. And in the days since Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza, China has tried to keep its distance, with a government spokesperson calling the country ¡°a common friend of both Israel and Palestine.¡±
Yet China¡¯s stakes in the Middle East are high, particularly if the war now being fought in Israel and Gaza were to broaden through the region.
One big reason: Oil.
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