China as an ‘international mediator’ in the context of Saudi-Iran relations

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By assuming the role of an international mediator in brokering peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, China has set a new precedent to its long-held “non-interventionist” foreign policy. This is an outcome of China’s increasing foothold in the Middle East, which is changing the political and security matrix in the region. Against the backdrop of the Saudi-Iranian agreement, it has become essential to assess China’s interest in serving as the mediator as well as Riyadh and Tehran’s desire to embrace Beijing’s good offices.

Amrita Jash is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institution of Eminence), India. She holds a PhD in Chinese Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, was a Pavate Fellow at the University of Cambridge and has authored The Concept of Active Defence in China’s Military Strategy (Pentagon Press, 2021). Her research interests are China’s foreign policy, the Chinese military, and security and strategic issues in China-India and China-Japan relations as well as the Indo-Pacific region.

Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal is a research scholar at the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah), Riyadh. He was a Dr. TMA Pai fellow and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institution of Eminence), India. His research largely focuses on strategic and security affairs of the Middle East, India-Middle East relations and regional power struggles in the Middle East, with a special focus on Iran.