This book explores a range of key issues connected to China's relations with countries in the Middle East and South Asia. It discusses economic and political connections, and projects which have arisen as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Mehran Haghirian is a PhD Candidate at Qatar University and Director of Regional Initiatives at the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation.

Luciano Zaccara is a Research Associate Professor in the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.

1 Introduction Luciano Zaccara and Mehran Haghirian 2 China in the Middle East and North Africa: An Empirical Inquiry on China's Expansion towards the West Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou and Hamed Vafaei 3 The Sino-Iranian Relationship: A Role Theory Approach to a Non-Western Great Power-Middle Power Partnership Jacopo Scita 4 Iran's 'Eastward Turn' in a Turning World: Reassessing Sanctions as a Driver of China-Iran Trade Esfandyar Batmanghelidj 5 China's Foreign Policy in the Middle East and the Position of the Gulf States Vorachai Israsena Pichitkanjanakul 6 Strategic Transformations of China's Relations with GCC States: From a Unidimensional relationship to a Multilayered Partnership Ümit Alperen 7 The Emerging Security Role of Turkey and China in the Middle East: Avoiding a Possible Clash in the Future Ali Bakir 8 China and Russia in Post-War Syria: Cooperation or Competition? Lukács Krajcsír 9 The Israel Factor in the Dynamic Relations between China and the Islamic World Zhiqun Zhu 10 China-Bangladesh and China-Pakistan Security Cooperation in the Context of the 'Belt and Road Initiative' and its Implications to the Contemporary Indian Ocean Geopolitics Noor Mohammad Sarker 11 China's Changing Posture towards Afghanistan: An Insight from Neo Classical Realism Sehar Sabir