China as an Offshore Balancer in the Middle East and North Africa

Ten years after the Arab uprisings, China’s role in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has become more prominent. In a recent article published in the RUSI Journal, Andrea Ghiselli and Maria Grazia Erika Giuffrida argue that China has adopted a strategy of offshore balancing to weaken US influence in that region without, however, making evident attempts to establish its own sphere of influence. They analyse China’s approach to Libya, Syria and Iran and draw important conclusions for how to understand China’s approach to regional crises, and regional and extra-regional actors.