January 10, 2024
China’s Role and Impact on MENA’s Air Domain
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Key takeaways
- Presence in the MENA Region
- Implications on the Air Domain and Military Capabilities
- Concerns about Chinese Exports and Technology Transfers
- Chinese Technology Transfers and Impact on the Air Domain
- Understanding China’s Presence in the Region
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
03:53 – Sophisticated Weapon Systems: Development and Transfer by China
07:54 – Balancing China’s Strategic Objectives: The Key Challenge
13:42 – Shifting Stance: China’s Evolving Role in the Middle East
17:03 – Arab and Jewish Political Influence: Examining China’s Perspective
20:59 – Seeking an Unbiased Operational Perspective: Hope of Analysts
22:34 – Potential Confrontation and Implications: Israel-China Dynamics
28:08 – Military-Civil Fusion Concerns: Exploring the Chinese MCF Concept
31:42 – Technology and Arms Exports: Concerns over China’s Influence
35:47 – Beto Satellites and Dual Technology Purpose: China’s Approach
36:49 – Cooperation Agreements: Lack of Specific and Quantifiable Details
42:41 – Impact on Regional Security: Discussing China’s Technological Influence
44:55 – Forecasting Advanced Technology and Arms Transfers by China
47:23 – Seizing Opportunities: China’s Role in the Middle East
52:10 – Conclusion
In this episode
Colonel (Reserves) Dr. Assaf Heller
Director of Research
Elrom Air and Space Research Center
Tel Aviv University
Colonel (Reserves) Dr. Assaf Heller is currently the Director of Research at Tel Aviv University’s Elrom Air and Space Research Center. He previously served in and commanded the Israel Defence Force’s military and intelligence research units.
Sarah-Masha Fainberg
Senior Researcher and Head of Great Powers Research Program
Elrom Air and Space Research Center
Tel Aviv University
Dr. Sarah-Masha Fainberg is a Senior Researcher and Head of Great Powers Research Program at Tel Aviv University’s Elrom Center for Air and Space Studies, where she focuses on Russian and Chinese policy in the MENA region. She previously served as a Policy and Strategic Issues Adviser at Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv (Russia Program). A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, she holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Comparative Politics from Sciences Po, Paris.
About
In this episode of the China-MENA Podcast titled “China’s Role and Impact on MENA’s Air Domain,” host Jonathan Fulton discusses China’s influence on the air domain in the Middle East and North Africa with experts Assaf Heller and Sarah-Masha Fainberg. They explore Chinese technological transfers and arm exports and its implications on the air domain and military capabilities in MENA, Chinese weapon systems, China’s military-civil fusion concerns, and Beijing’s growing technological influence on the region.
Tune in to gain insights into the implications of China’s expanding presence in the region and its effects on military capabilities and hear the experts’ forecast on advanced technology and arms transfers by China.
Hosted by
The Chinese influence in the Middle East should not be overlooked. It encompasses both strategic and operational impact, and we must consider it seriously
China seeks to restore and preserve its position as a global power through a national rejuvenation journey
Learn more
- China’s Expanding Presence in MENA: Future Implications for the Air Domain by Sarah Fainberg, Tomer Fadlon, and Haim Schwarz
About the China-MENA podcast
The China-MENA podcast features conversations with academics, think-tankers, and regional specialists on Chinese Influence in the Middle East and informs US and MENA audiences in the policy and business communities about the nature of China’s outreach to the region.
At a time when China’s global footprint is getting deeper and deeper, it has never been more important to understand its foreign policy and the Middle East is one of the world’s most consequential regions: home to major religions, diverse cultural and social heritage, central to global energy markets, and of course, geopolitics, linking people and markets in Asia, Africa and Europe. This show will help you understand what China is doing in the region, and how the region is engaging with China as an increasingly important external power.
Podcast series
Listen to the latest episode of the China-MENA podcast, featuring conversations with academics, government leaders, and the policy community on China’s role in the Middle East.
Recommended reading
Middle East Programs
Through our Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the invaluable human potential of the region.
This podcast was funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
Further reading
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Image: FH-97A, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is displayed during the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China on Nov. 8, 2022. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun )