July 21, 2026

The Gulf ’s China Problem: Beijing Wants Trade but Not Responsibility

Mohammed Alsudairi, Andrea Ghiselli, and Aaron Glasserman

“During this year’s Iran war, China again declined to use its considerable leverage to keep the Iranians from attacking China’s Gulf partners—a move that especially concerned Saudi Arabia, which felt that Beijing should come to its defense because China was the guarantor of its reconciliation with Tehran.”

ChinaMed Head of Research Andrea Ghiselli, alongside with Mohammed Alsudairi (Australian National University & King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies) and Aaron Glasserman (Columbia University) are the co-author of the article “The Gulf’s China Problem” for Foreign Affairs.

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Read the full article here.

With the support of

This project is realized with the support of the Unit for Analysis, Policy Planning and Historical Documentation - Directorate General for Political Affairs and International Security of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in accordance with Article 23 ‒ bis of the Decree of the President of the Italian Republic 18/1967.
The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Published with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation pursuant to art. 23-bis of Presidential Decree 18/1967. The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

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