Navigating Middle Eastern Disputes: The Two-Goods Approach of China's Constructive Intervention

In recent years, China has sought to modify its traditional low-key approach to the Middle East by adopting a constructive intervention strategy. Our research examines what China's self-described constructive intervention entails and how it intends to implement its novel approach. Combining quantitative and qualitative research, we analyze the discourse of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokespeople at press conferences and telephone call-ins. Our findings indicate that the narratives of spokespeople are rich in nuance and employ various strategies to obscure their positions, including oscillatory statements, no statements, indirect statements, and responses of no idea. The constructive intervention is essentially a selective intervention strategy, and it provides Beijing with greater latitude and flexibility to adjust its decisions and maneuvers in order to achieve two-goods foreign policy: (i) changing the undesirable elements and (ii) preserving the favorable elements of the status quo.

Automated summary

China has changed its traditional approach to the Middle East in recent years and adopted a strategy of constructive intervention. Research shows that this constructive intervention is a selective strategy that allows China to adjust its decisions and actions flexibly to achieve two foreign policy objectives: changing unfavorable elements and preserving favorable elements.