Key facts
- The analysis said Beijing's importance to the Gulf as an energy customer, investor and technology partner has grown.
- It said China's ability to guarantee the maritime routes linking the Middle East to East Asia remains limited.
- It said the next contest in global energy will concern who can preserve access, not only who produces and consumes.
China's weight in the Gulf economy as an energy customer, investor and technology partner has grown, but Beijing's ability to guarantee the maritime routes that connect the Middle East to East Asia remains limited, according to an analysis published on November 4, 2026.
The analysis described that gap as the contradiction exposed by the US-Iran war. It argued that the next contest in global energy will turn not only on who produces and consumes oil but on who can preserve access to it.
The published text available ended there, before the analysis set out its supporting evidence.