The recent escalation of hostilities in the Persian Gulf has shone a spotlight on China’s exposure to conflict risks: both Iran and smaller states on the other side of the Gulf are home to significant Chinese investments and major suppliers of energy and other inputs for China’s economy. Such a clustering in high-risk areas is characteristic for Chinese foreign investments, especially those made under the Belt and Road Initiative. This presents China with the challenge of protecting its sprawling overseas interests, while its foreign policy still espouses the principles of noninterference and noninterventionism. This Global China Conversation will examine how China deals with this problem, and how its foreign policy is changing as a result. While China remains more hesitant than other great powers to directly intervene in conflicts, it is developing a distinct form of security agency centered on domestic security cooperation, diplomatic mediation and employing geoeconomic leverage. But how effective is this approach? How is China grappling with an increasingly turbulent world, and what can the Iran war tell us about the limits of its agency?
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