In an article published on Al Jazeera, Dr. Wang Bing claims that China is the reliable alternative for Arabs. But is this really true?
First, we do not view ourselves merely as Arabs, but rather as Muslims first and foremost. Second, communist atheist China has a dark record when it comes to respecting the Muslim minority in East Turkestan, which it annexed by military force, and where many Muslim inhabitants are treated as criminals or as permanent suspects.
China certainly has major interests with us, yes, but for it to become a truly reliable ally remains unlikely for several reasons. In international relations, pragmatism and realism govern most exchanges and cooperation. The Chinese market is enormous, and Beijing is keen on supplying it with the best that the minds of its people can produce. Moreover, expanding China’s economic influence both inside and outside its borders primarily serves the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party.
In the case of Palestine, for example, what is China’s real weight? Does it possess any genuine deterrent influence over the Zionist occupier? Is it willing to exercise any serious pressure against the Zionists? And can it influence the American administration regarding its Zionist ally? Most likely not. China, although it expresses considerable discomfort with Zionist practices, will not take concrete action to halt economic or technological cooperation with them, because the language of supreme national interests takes priority over considerations of justice and rights.
Furthermore, the “Silk Road” project adopted by China decades ago is not merely an economic cooperation initiative. It is also a tool for expanding Chinese influence across the continents, with the aim of exporting its products and controlling supply chains and markets. Before participating countries truly benefit from this project, the greatest returns and advantages flow first and foremost to Beijing.
It is not easy to gain the trust of Muslim peoples who have suffered immensely from decline, backwardness, and the relentless hostility of their enemies. Therefore, relations with major powers should be approached through the logic of mutual interests and strategic caution, not through emotional dependence or the search for a new “international savior.”
