February 2018

In February, several events captured the attention of the Chinese media. While Chinese commentators and analysts were mainly bystanders to the events in Syria, they were directly involved in pushing back against Europe’s accusations of China "infiltrating" the Balkans (for a regional perspective about this issue you can read the previous issue of the ChinaMed Observer).

The Chinese media focused mainly on the US, Russia, Turkey, and Israel while discussing the still-ongoing war in Syria. Their general assessment of the situation did not change because, as emphasized this month by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Middle East expert Tang Zhichao, they continue to see a strengthening of Russian influence in the region. Meanwhile the Trump administration’s strategy remains unclear and largely ineffective, even following attempts made by former Secretary of State Tillerson.

While in January, the Chinese media highlighted the challenges faced by Turkey following its "Olive Branch" operation, in February however, it was Israel that came under scrutiny (though it must be noted that seemingly no consensus about it has yet emerged). According to a regular commentator on Middle Eastern affairs for The Paper, the loss of US influence in Syria, Russia's unwillingness to extend its support to Israel, and the mounting threats caused by Iran through its Syrian proxies have put Israel in an "awkward " situation. Yet, Tian Wenlin of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations argued that Israel has been quite successful in seizing opportunities that have emerged since the so-called Arab Spring of 2011. The chaos in Syria has weakened its regional competitors and recent changes in Hamas’ leadership have allowed Israel to strengthen its grip on Gaza and the Palestinians.

Vis-à-vis the growing uncertainties caused by the war in Syria, the foreign affairs team of the People's Daily  published an article proposing China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the economic development it is meant to generate, as the only real solution for the continuous problems that plague the region. Tian Wenlin , in another article for the Guangming Daily, argued in favor of the construction of a "Community of Common Destiny". The retreat of the United States and the subsequent arrival of other actors to fill the void are simply creating a repetition of history. China, Tian wrote, while having no geopolitical ambitions, sees itself only as a constructive partner that can boost regional stability by contributing to economic development.

Following the accusations leveled by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU Commission President Juncker, on February 21 and 22 respectively, against Chinese influence in the Balkans, Chinese media and commentators reacted fiercely. The People's Daily  interpreted the accusations as a sign of the West’s general aggressiveness in its approach to China. Liu Zuokui , who is in charge of the East European Studies Office of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, specifically targeted Juncker’s visit to the Balkans to promote the EU's "Strategy for the Western Balkans". According to Liu, the new EU strategy offers no guarantees to the Balkans and does nothing to address the problems faced by those countries. The EU is simply putting on a show of strength following the undermining blow dealt by the Brexit vote in 2016.

Chinese media also reported on the progress of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Mediterranean region. In particular, recent news related to PetroChina signal the improvement of China's energy security.

Indeed, oil production of PetroChina's Middle East branch broke the 4 million barrels /day ceiling for the first time. Once the three projects that PetroChina is currently working on are completed, crude oil production in early 2018 should grow by 10,8 million tons. According to Xinhua , PetroChina's operations have been particularly successful in Iran. PetroChina's efforts in Iran are largely due to Cheng Zhongliang, who is the leader of a group of "veterans" that previously spent 10 years in Sudan before moving to Iran. PetroChina’s main project in the country is the North Azadegan oil field, which started producing crude oil in October 2015. By October 2016, 3 out of 4 million tons of oil from the field had been shipped to China. Cheng and his team were personally greeted by the Iranian President Rouhani for their contribution to Iran's oil exports.

For their efforts in strengthening the energy security of one of the countries of the region, a high-level delegation from the China National Nuclear Corporation  received an award from the Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources during the 12th International Geoscience Conference in Jeddah. Wang Yiren, the Vice Director of China's National Atomic Agency was present as well and presented the Hualong One reactor to the Saudi Minister. The delegation was composed of representatives from China's nuclear industry and research community.

At the same time, the Sino-Algerian  working group on cooperation production met in Algeria to discuss how to improve the trade and investment relationship between the two countries. In Egypt, Jushi Group, one of the key actors in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, worked with the Confucius Institute of the Suez Canal University to organize a training camp aimed at reducing the existing cultural gap between locals and Chinese corporations, which has led to many problems.

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