Navigating Diplomacy: A Text Analysis of Sino-American Public Diplomacy and the Resolution of Saudi-Iranian Tensions

Xiru Zhao; You Xu

EN TR

Navigating Diplomacy: A Text Analysis of Sino-American Public Diplomacy and the Resolution of Saudi-Iranian Tensions

Abstract

This study analyzes the divergent approaches of Sino-American public diplomacy in the context of Saudi-Iranian reconciliation. Utilizing text analysis of governmental policy documents, this research explores how China, and the United States employ distinct strategies in Middle Eastern when dealing with the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran between 2016-2023. While the United States historically emphasizes the promotion of democratic values and human rights, China adopts a pragmatic, economic-focused approach, as exemplified by its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). On March 2023, the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran facilitated by Chinese government, underscores the effectiveness of China's strategy emphasizing non-interference, mutual benefits, and economic development. The findings suggest that China's approach, centered around economic cooperation and non-interference, may offer a new “Chinese model” for conflict resolution in the Middle East areas. The paper contributes to the understanding of shifting global diplomatic dynamics and the potential for alternative conflict resolution methods in a complex regional landscape.

Keywords

Reconciliation , Public Diplomacy , China , United States , Belt and Road Initiative

Diplomasiyi Yönlendirmek: Çin-Amerikan Kamu Diplomasisinin Metin Analizi ve Suudi-İran Gerilimlerinin Çözümü

Öz

Bu çalışma, Suudi-İran uzlaşması bağlamında Çin-Amerikan kamu diplomasisinin farklı yaklaşımlarını bir araya getirmektedir. Politika belgelerinin metin analizini içeren bu çalışma, Çin ve ABD'nin Orta Doğu'daki çatışmalara dair nasıl farklı stratejiler izlediklerini araştırmaktadır. ABD tarihsel olarak demokratik değerlerin ve insan haklarının desteklenmesine vurgu yaparken Çin, Kuşak ve Yol İnisiyatifi'nin (BRI) örneklediği gibi pragmatik, ekonomi odaklı bir yaklaşım benimsemektedir. Mart 2023'te Suudi Arabistan ve İran arasında Çin hükümeti tarafından kolaylaştırılan uzlaşma, Çin'in iç işlerine karışmamayı, karşılıklı faydayı ve ekonomik kalkınmayı vurgulayan stratejisinin etkinliğini göstermektedir. Bulgular, Çin'in ekonomik işbirliği ve iç işlerine karışmama odaklı yaklaşımının Orta Doğu bölgelerindeki çatışmaların çözümü için yeni bir “Çin modeli” sunmaktadır. Makale, değişen küresel diplomatik dinamiklerin ve karmaşık bir bölgesel ortamda alternatif çatışma çözümü yöntemlerinin anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Mutabakat , Kamu Diplomasisi , Çin , Amerika Birleşik Devletleri , BRI

References

Aluf, D. (February 26, 2024). China’s influence in the Middle East and its limitations. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/chinas-influence-in-the-middle-east-and-its-limitations/.
Aydin, A. (2013). Hereditary Oil Monarchies: Why Arab Spring Fails in GCC Arabian States?. Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 30, 123-138.
Brautigam, D. (2020). Aid ‘with Chinese characteristics’: Chinese foreign aid and development finance meet the OECD-DAC aid regime. Journal of International Development.
Building a future city: China-Saudi cooperation in NEOM (2023, 7 December). Xinhua News Agency. https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/p/295018.html.
Callahan, W. A. (2015). The China Dream and the American Dream. Economic and Political Studies, 3(1), 143-160.
Cerioli, L. G. (2018). Roles and International Behaviour: Saudi–Iranian Rivalry in Bahrain’s and Yemen’s Arab Spring. Contexto Internacional, 40(2), 295–316.
Chainoglou, K. (2011). An Assessment of Jus in Bello Issues Concerning Computer Network Attacks: A Threat Reflected in National Security Agendas. Romanian Journal of International Law, 12, 25-63.
Choi, S. H. (12 February 2024). China displays FC-31 fighter model at Saudi defence show in bid to increase exports as Middle East nations explore options. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3251765/china-displays-fc-31-fighter-saudi-defence-show-bid-increase-exports-mideast-nations-explore-options.
Cox, M. (2019). American power before and after 11 September: Dizzy with success?. International Affairs, 77(3), 605-624.
Cull, N. J. (2008). Public diplomacy: Taxonomies and histories. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 31-54.

Daimah, D. (2022). Public Diplomacy as an Instrument Foreign Policy. International Conference on Social Science, 1(1).
Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58.
Esposito, J. (1992). The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?. Oxford University Press.
Gadd, E., Garraway, A., Smith, B., Lang, A., Robinson, T.C., & Walker, N. (2017). Human rights in Iran. https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/aca_socialsciences_polisci/infographic-unga72.pdf
Ghaziani, M. A., and Ghaziani, M. A. (2022). A reflection on the human rights attitude and international law approaches of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 16(3), 310–326.
Gilboa, E. (2005). The CNN effect: The Search for a Communication Theory of International Relations. Political Communication, 22(1), 27–44.
Gurgu, E., and Cociuban, A. D. (2016). The role of public diplomacy in international relations in full process of globalization. Annals of Spiru Haret University, Economic Series, 7(2), 125-143.
Hassan, O. (2015). Undermining the transatlantic democracy agenda? the Arab spring and Saudi Arabia’s counteracting democracy strategy. Democratization, 22(3), 479–495.
Heath, T. R. (2018). China’s Pursuit of Overseas Security. Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
Heidelbaugh, C. H. (2012). Examination of National Policy to Build Partner Capacity. US Army War College.
Hehir, A. (2009). NATO’s “Humanitarian Intervention” in Kosovo: Legal precedent or aberration? Journal of Human Rights, 8(3), 245-264.
Hiro, D. (1989). The Longest War: The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict. Routledge.
Ikenberry, G. J. (2001). American Grand Strategy in the Age of Terror. Survival, 43(4), 19-34.
Johansen, R. (2021). Where the Evidence Leads: A Realistic Strategy for Peace and Human Security. Oxford University Press.
Joobani, H. A., and Daheshvar, M. (2020). Deciphering Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” Policy: The Enduring Challenge of Containing Iran. New Middle Eastern Studies, 10(1).
Jorgensen, M. (2020). The United States and the International Law of Global Security. KFG Working Paper Series.
Kim, S.-H., Scheufele, D. A., and Shanahan, J. (2002). Think about it This Way: Attribute Agenda-Setting Function of the Press and the public’s Evaluation of a Local Issue. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79(1), 7–25.
Kinzer, S. (2003). All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. Wiley. Leonard, M. (2002). Public diplomacy. The Foreign Policy Centre.
Liu, F. (2016). China’s security strategy towards East Asia. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 9(2), 151-179.
Liu, Z. M. (2023). Shate, Yi lang maodun genshen digu de lishi jingwe [The deep-rooted historical context of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran]. Shijie Zhishi [World Affairs], 09,17-20.
Liu, Z.M and Xu, Z.M. (2024). Xinshidai Zhongguo canyu zhongdong Anquan zhili de linian yu shijian [The concept and practice of China’s participation in Middle East security governance in the new era]. Journal of University of International Relations, 2, 139-162.
Medeiros, E. S. (2009). The new security drama in East Asia: The responses of US allies and security partners to China’s rise. Naval War College Review, 62(4), 37-52.
Melissen, J. (2005). The New Public Diplomacy: Soft Power in International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ministry of Foreign Affair of People’s Republic of China (2023), The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/wjbxw/202302/t20230221_11028348.html.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2023, March 10). Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo, Shate alabo Wangguo, Yilang yisilan Gongheguo sanfang lianhe Shengming. [Joint Trilateral Statement by the People’s Republic of China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/ziliao_674904/1179_674909/202303/t20230310_ 11039137.shtml.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2024a). Zhongguo tong Shate alabo de guanxi [The relationship between China and Saudi Arabia], Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/gjhdq_676201/gj_676203/ yz_676205/1206_676860/sbgx_676864/.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2024b). Zhongguo tong Yilang de guanxi [The relationship between China and Iran], Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/gjhdq_676201/gj_676203/yz_676205/ 1206_677172/sbgx_677176/.
Murphy, J. (2003). The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs. Cambridge University Press.
Nardelli, A., Jacobs, J. & Martin, P. (2 May 2024). U.S. and Saudi Arabia near defense pact meant to reshape Middle East. The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/05/02/ world/politics/us-saudis-defense-pact/.
Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. Public Affairs.
Nye, J. S. (2021). “Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump”. Oxford University Press.
Pan, Z., and Kosicki, G. M. (1993). Framing analysis: An approach to news discourse. Political communication, 10(1), 55-75.
Papagianni, K. (2010). Mediation, Political Engagement, and Peacebuilding. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 16(2), 243-263.
Potter, E. H. (2008). Branding Canada: Projecting Canada’s Soft Power through Public Diplomacy. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Ricks, T. (2006). Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005. Penguin Books.
Ritter, S. (2003). Frontier justice: Weapons of mass destruction and the bushwhacking of America. New York: Context Books.
Shambaugh, D. (2018). China and the world. Oxford University Press.
Sheafer, T., and Gabay, I. (2009). Mediated public diplomacy: A strategic contest over international agenda building and frame building. Political communication, 26(4), 447-467.
Snow, D. A. (2004). Framing processes, ideology, and discursive fields. The Blackwell companion to social movements, 380-412.
Snow, N., and Cull, N. J. (Eds.). (2020). Routledge handbook of public diplomacy. Routledge.
Stasinopoulos, D. (2003). Maritime Security – The Need for a Global Agreement. Maritime Economics & Logistics, 5(3), 311-320.
Sun, D.G. (2023). Shate yu Yilang fujiao lichen zhong de renlei mingyun gongtongti Shijian [Practice of community of shared future for mankind in the process of Saudi Arabia and Iran normalizing relations]. Dangdai Zhongguo yu shijie [Contemporary China and the World], 3, 97-104.
Tow, W., and Rigby, R. (2011). China’s Pragmatic Security Policy: The Middle-Power Factor. The China Journal, 65, 157–178.
U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Saudi Arabia (2024). News and Events. https://sa.usembassy.gov/news/(Access Date: 10.04.2024)
U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran, (2024). News. https://sa.usembassy.gov/news/(Access Date: 13.04.2024)
U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran, (2024). Speeches and Statements. https://ir.usembassy.gov/category/speeches/ (Access Date: 13.04.2024)
Vitalis, R. (2006). America’s Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. Sandford University Press.
Wang, J. (2016). Marching Westwards: The Rebalancing of China’s Geostrategy. International Strategic Studies, 3, 57-75.
Xi attends China- Arab summit, China-GCC summit and visits Saudi Arabia. (7 December, 2022), Xinhua News. https://english.news.cn/special/202212xjp/index.html.
Yahuda, M. (2003). Chinese dilemmas in thinking about regional security architecture. The Pacific Review, 16(2), 189-206.
Yao, J. H. and Tian, W. L. (2023). Shate yu Yilang hejie tuxian zhongmei waijiao linian shenceng chayi [Saudi Arabia and Iran’s reconciliation highlights the deep-seated differences in diplomatic concepts between China and the United States]. Shijie Zhishi [World Affairs], 9, 23-25.
Zakaria, F. (2008). The Post-American World. W.W. Norton & Company.
Zartman, I.W. and Touval, S. (1985), International Mediation: Conflict Resolution and Power Politics. Journal of Social Issues, 41, 27-45.
Zyck, S. A., and Muggah, R. (2012). Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Prevention: Obstacles and Opportunities. Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 1(1), 68-75.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

International Politics

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Xiru Zhao ^*
0000-0002-1976-2115
Japan

You Xu This is me
0009-0002-1569-276X
Japan

Publication Date

June 30, 2024

Submission Date

April 2, 2024

Acceptance Date

May 27, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 3 Number: 1

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA59EN26DF

APA

Zhao, X., & Xu, Y. (2024). Navigating Diplomacy: A Text Analysis of Sino-American Public Diplomacy and the Resolution of Saudi-Iranian Tensions. Bölge Çalışmaları Dergisi, 3(1), 1-26. https://izlik.org/JA59EN26DF

Navigating Diplomacy: A Text Analysis of Sino-American Public Diplomacy and the Resolution of Saudi-Iranian Tensions

Abstract

Keywords

Diplomasiyi Yönlendirmek: Çin-Amerikan Kamu Diplomasisinin Metin Analizi ve Suudi-İran Gerilimlerinin Çözümü

Öz

Anahtar Kelimeler

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

IZ

Cite