Quarterly Journal of West Asian Studies
(Faṣlnāmah-i Gharb-i Asiyā)

Quarterly Journal of West Asian Studies (Faṣlnāmah-i Gharb-i Asiyā)

China and Russia's foreign policy in the Middle East and the recent Palestinian issue in the influence pattern of these two powers

Document Type : Original Article

Author
10.22034/wasj.2026.562484.1115
Abstract
The Middle East, as a strategic region in global politics, has always been of interest to major powers. In recent decades, with geopolitical developments and the decline of the United States' influence, China and Russia have increasingly emerged as two major powers shaping regional policies in this area. This article examines the foreign policy of China and Russia in the Middle East and the place of the Palestinian issue in the influence pattern of these two powers. The Palestinian issue, as one of the central issues in regional politics, has become an important tool for China and Russia to confront the West and strengthen their relations with Arab countries and Iran in recent years. Although in the past, the United States and Britain were fully present in this region, today China, Russia and other players have also been added, and China and Russia, the two great Eurasian powers, have unveiled their intention to replace the global system with an "unrestricted partnership" in order to shape the global landscape. This study raises the question of which strategic policy China and Russia have adopted towards the Middle East with an emphasis on the Palestinian issue; the results show that while China mainly uses economic tools and soft diplomacy to influence the Middle East and the Palestinian issue, Russia focuses on security, military interventions, and strategic relations to formulate its policies towards Palestine and other Middle East issues. However, both countries jointly use the Palestinian issue as a geopolitical tool to weaken the influence of the United States and strengthen their relations with Arab and Islamic countries. This has provided an opportunity for the two countries to form an alliance and closer ties with Iran and the Resistance Axis
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  • Receive Date 26 November 2025
  • Revise Date 18 February 2026
  • Accept Date 18 February 2026
  • First Publish Date 18 February 2026
  • Publish Date 22 June 2025