Description
This paper examines the prospects and challenges for China’s Belt and Road (BRI) Initiative in the Middle East with a focus on China’s relations with Iran. The region has been particularly important for China’s energy security and the BRI provides an ambitious framework to boost trade and investment opportunities for both China and the countries involved in the initiative. In this sense, Iran has been an important partner and its significance is manifested in the growing volume of Chinese investment in the country. Nevertheless, regional political and security complexities continue to present a challenge to China’s deeper engagement with the Middle East, and in particular with Iran. Added to these complexities is the regional involvement of Russia and the United States. In view of China’s strategic ambitions and its relations with regional and non-regional actors, the paper aims to evaluate the potential for the BRI’s success both in Iran and the Middle East in general.
