The United States’ Pivot to Asia Strategy and Its Impact on China’s Approach to the Persian Gulf
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58342/ghalibqj.V.15.I.2.7Keywords:
China, Neoclassical Realism, Persian Gulf, Pivot to Asia Strategy, United StatesAbstract
Background and Objective: China’s foreign policy approach toward the Persian Gulf has changed in recent years, and the country’s presence in the region, which was once considered the United States’ backyard, has expanded. Various perspectives have been put forward regarding the motivations and objectives behind China’s changing approach toward the Persian Gulf. A less-discussed idea pursued in the present article is the impact of the United States’ Pivot to Asia policy on China’s approach toward the Persian Gulf.
Method: The research methodology employed in this article is descriptive-analytical in nature, and a qualitative approach was adopted for data analysis. The required research information was collected through library research and documentary analysis.
Findings: The findings of the article indicate that the impact of the United States’ Pivot to Asia policy on China’s approach toward the Persian Gulf was not direct, but rather occurred through the perceptions of Beijing’s leaders. Beijing perceived the Pivot to Asia strategy as a highly serious threat to its eastern and southern periphery. At the same time, the Chinese leadership concluded that by expanding its power in its western periphery and toward the Persian Gulf, it could both escape U.S. encirclement and take advantage of the new opportunities emerging in this area.
Conclusion: The United States’ Pivot to Asia strategy, through the country’s presence in regional multilateral organizations and the deployment of a large proportion of its military forces to the Indo-Pacific region, has played an important role in the Chinese leadership’s decision to change the country’s approach toward an active economic presence and a cautious political-security role in the Persian Gulf.
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