China and US Rivalry in The Persian Gulf: Is a New Security Architecture Evolving?

In beginning af March it was announced that Iran and Saudi Arabia in a Chinese brokered deal agreed to resume diplomatic relations. It was seen as a surprise, but it is well known that Iran and Saudi Arabia already in 2021 negotiated about Yemen in Baghdad and that they also met in Jordan. China has been very active in its relations to both Iran and Saudi Arabia with President Xi Jinping visiting Riyadh in December and President Raisi on a recent visit in Beijing.

The last decade, China has been active in The Persian Gulf and the Middle East and the significance of this is addressed in a new large volume edited by Professor Yahia Zoubir and being published soon as Routledge Companion to China and the Middle East and North Africa. DIIS researcher Lars Erslev Andersen contributes to the book with the chapter: “China and US policy in the Persian Gulf: is a new security architecture evolving?”

The fast-changing global order with the rise of China and an expansionist Russia begs the question of whether a new security architecture is developing in the Persian Gulf. The chapter concludes that there are strong indications that this is the case, and that China is playing a bigger role but has no intentions to replace the US as primary security provider. Current debates on whether America is still committed to the Carter Doctrine, the goals of US strategy in the Persian Gulf, and the implications of the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan are also explored in a comprehensive response to this question.