West Asia's China syndrome

Chinese warships in the region raise threat perceptions

The discovery that six Chinese warships had been stationed at Kuwait for the past week has added a new dynamic to the Israel-Hamas war. With the navies of the world’s two most powerful nations, which are ranged on opposite sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict, present in the theatre, commentators suggest that the threat of escalation has increased significantly. China has consistently supported the Palestinian cause, and last week Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned historical injustices against Palestine in a call with his Saudi counterpart. Beijing has, however, sought to dial down threat perceptions. A Chinese defence ministry statement clarified that