China's Soft Power and Diplomacy towards Middle East Region after 2011

Abstract

The study deals with China's soft power and diplomacy in the Middle East, and it focuses specifically on the tools and foundations of China's soft diplomacy and how it achieves its goals in the region in addition to its challenges in the region. In this regard, the study also focuses on the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and its soft foundations and how they serve China’s diplomacy and soft power in the region. The study ends with a set of conclusions, perhaps the most prominent of which is that diplomacy and soft power have become a fundamental pillar of China's foreign policy to achieve its foreign goals and to establish an international system compatible with China's principles. As for the Middle East, China has established a policy in the region in order to achieve its goals, especially securing its share of oil, based on non-interference and neutrality. This policy has represented a basic pillar of diplomacy and soft power for China and the enhancement of its positive image in the region. The Belt and Road Initiative promoted by China in the region gives a strong impetus to China's soft power and enhances its positive image. Especially since the initiative itself is based on soft and civilized principles, and the slogan of "Win-Win Cooperation". is the main slogan of the initiative. However, China's diplomacy and soft power in the region still faces many great challenges, the most important of which is the difficulty of competing with Western soft power, especially the American one, or the lack of attractiveness of China's soft power in front of its Western counterpart.