On 9 December, MEI hosted a talk with Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli to discuss their new book, Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. Their research explores the trajectory and potential endpoint of Sino-Middle Eastern relations. Are we on the precipice of a post-American Chinese hegemony in the region, or are we reaching the outer limits of what is feasible within these essentially transactional ties?

Drawing on a wide range of multilingual sources from 2010 to 2023 and based on a framework of thin constructivism, the book delves into Saudi, Syrian, and Chinese elite narratives regarding the Middle Eastern regional order and China’s envisaged place within it.