China has been establishing itself as an economic player in the MENA region, not engaging in any complicated political issues. However, in recent years, China has been increasingly involved in political affairs. They have been engaging with the Arab states as well as the North African Countries.

In this podcast, Jonathan invited Dr. Dawn Murphy, an Associate Professor of International Security Studies at the US Air War College. She specializes in Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics, US-China relations, and international relations. She wrote the book titled “China’s Rise in the Global South: The Middle East, Africa, and Beijing’s Alternative World Order.”

In this episode, they go through a quick summary of her novel and what it's about. They also discussed the forums with which China is affiliated, as well as the goals and objectives of those forums. They also talk about China's connections with non-Arab nations including Turkey, Iran, and Israel. They also covered China's two envoys, the Middle East envoys, and Africa's envoys. They talk about the overviews and the importance of these envoys in China's relations with the region. Finally, they address how the US should think about China's growing influence in the area and how they should interact with China as a competitor.

The China-MENA podcast is created by the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and features conversations with academics, government leaders, academics, and the policy community. The podcast sheds light on the growing role that China is playing in the Middle East, and it will be of particular relevance to the US policy community.

AIRED: 5/18/22