Chinese premier Li Qiang meets with Palestinian president in effort to 'increase Middle East presence'

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday in a drive by Beijing to elevate relations and increase its overall presence in the Middle East reported news agency APLi who took office just this spring with little foreign policy experience called Abbas an old friend of the Chinese people who has made important contributions to the promotion of ChinaPalestinian relationsAccording to AP report The meeting came a day after Abbas was greeted with full military honours by Xi Jinping Chinas president and head of the ruling Communist PartyThe sides then announced the formation of a strategic partnership paving the way to boost Chinas influence in the region at a time when Beijings chief rival for global influence the United States is seen as withdrawing from the region following the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and complications in ties with regional power Saudi ArabiaChina meanwhile is seeking energy resources and markets for its military and civilian exports while also promoting its version of authoritarian government as part of joint challenge with Russia to the Westernled democratic world orderBeijing has long maintained diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority and it appointed a special envoy to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials But its experience in the region is mainly limited to construction manufacturing and other economic projectsChina relies on such partnerships to bolster its diplomatic posture and give large Chinese corporations a leg up when negotiating infrastructure deals in line with the governments Belt and Road Initiative which has left many struggling countries in deep debt to Chinese banks China also has sought close ties with Israel to expand its diplomatic presence and to gain access to high technologyAbbas visit follows Chinas hosting of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia that resulted in the restoring of diplomatic relations between the two Mideast rivals and boosting Chinas standing in the region The RiyadhTehran rapprochement was seen as a diplomatic victory for China as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States as gradually withdrawing from the wider regionChina has hosted a growing list of world leaders since reopening its borders in the spring after a threeyear virtual shutdown due to its extreme zeroCOVID policyThose have included French President Emmanuel Macron and European Comission President Ursula von der Leyen whose visits sparked controversy over Chinas pursuit of its campaign to cut off foreign support for selfgoverning Taiwan and block criticism of its human rights recordNext week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make a visit to Beijing that was postponed over the presence of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the US Diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing are at their lowest in decades over trade technology US support for Taiwan and an intensifying competition for influence in Asia and elsewhereWith inputs from AP