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- Until recently, 2023 looked to be a major year for Chinese outreach in the Middle East.
- Beijing has made economic, diplomatic, and even military inroads across the region.
- But the Israel-Hamas war is putting China's friends-with-all approach to the test.
China has made significant inroads in the Middle East in recent years, building up its economic and diplomatic ties by portraying itself as more neutral than the US and more willing to engage all parties.
However, the latest crisis in the volatile region, the fighting between Israel and Hamas, is putting China's multifaceted effort to win over Middle Eastern countries to its most significant test yet.