CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 75
ARAM ABAJYAN
US Middle Eastern policy in accordance with its relations with China
would be to cooperate rather than compete with Beijing. If so, China
could gain a vital sense of energy security. Washington and Beijing
would have shared interests in the region, and a possibility ofa more
stable Middle East could become a reality.
For ensuring energy security in the Middle East, US policymakers,
while cooperating with China, should aim to develop two major goals and
objectives:
Washington should initiate more active cooperation with Beijing
to help China reduce its huge demand for hydrocarbons. Indeed, the
implementation of various policies and programs would be required for
achieving such a result. The more China would be able to use alternative
energy sources for generating power, like nuclear energy or coal, the less
it will need to import oil from the Middle East.
The United States should seek ways to persuade China that they
would be better off relying more on foreign markets and less on personal
and singular supply deals to fulfill its energy needs. US efforts regarding
this issue were reflected in the dialogues with China’s officials aiming to
convince them to get involved in global energy markets and obtain equity
oil deals. 31
However, the US approach for persuading China to rely more on
global energy markets seems unlikely to convince them. On the other
hand, taking into account Washington-Beijing cooperation and energy
security calculations in the Middle East, US diplomats had to work hard
to guarantee that the United States was not seeking any military
confrontation in the region and that it would keep sea lanes open to China
from the Gulf. Washington also actively encouraged the US oil
companies’ cooperation and joint ventures with their Chinese
counterparts, including upstream exploration and production. By
encouraging such cooperation, Washington gave Beijing a sense of
partnership, while ensuring energy security in the Middle East.
There are many possible scenarios regarding US-China relations
and the prospects of bilateral cooperation in the Middle East, and no one
should be excluded. In the worst-case scenario, the growing Chinese
economy, with its drive for energy, would lead to the clash of interests
between the two sides. This will inevitably threaten the goals of the US
and ‘already gained’ achievements in the region. It will also arouse
31
Ibid, 198.
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