Sino-American Relations in the Middle East: Towards A Complementary Partnership?

China pursues geo-economic interests of trade, investment and energy, while the US explores geo-political interests of maintaining regional leadership, launching anti-terrorism campaigns, and defending allies in the Middle East. Notwithstanding all this, the two sides share compatible and complementary interests in the Middle East security governance and conflict de-escalation, which forges structural dynamics for Beijing and Washington to seek common ground while shelving differences. By drawing on detailed analysis of China and the US’s interaction in three cases, including coping with the ISIS threat, addressing the Iran nuclear crisis and mediating the Israel-Palestine conflict, this article argues that driven by pragmatism, it is possible for China and the US to build a complementary partnership in the Middle East, especially in dealing with security challenges in conflict zones, to maximise their respective interests and to alleviate the impact of Sino-US geopolitical rivalry in the Asia-Pacific region. The compatible policy orientations, the intensifying Middle East Cold War in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and the interdependent nature of Sino-US interests in the Middle East make it vital for China and the US to build a complementary partnership, although they may face various hurdles in its implementation.