Shift of US Focus May Mean China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East: Expert

Shift of US Focus May Mean China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East: Expert
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing, China on Dec. 31, 2019. Noel Celis-Pool/Getty Images
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As the United States shifts its focus to domestic issues like combating the pandemic, one expert says China would inevitably take over the Middle East.

The Middle East is historically a global crossroad for trade and energy due to its abundance of fossil fuels. For a number of years, the United States and China, among many other countries, have relied on energy trades from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.