Page 2 of
2 China,
Qatar forge tricky
partnership By Chris
Zambelis
Qatar's role as a base for US
military forces has proved indispensible toward
executing and sustaining the US-led wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan and other military operations in
the region. Qatar would be instrumental in any
potential US attack against China's ally Iran.
Qatar has leveraged the massive revenues
it derived from its energy exports to branch out
into other fields, including media, culture,
business and global finance. There are only about
300,000 Qatari citizens; a large majority of
Qatar's 1,800,000 inhabitants are foreign
nationals who comprise its labor force.
On
account of its energy riches and small population,
Qatar boasts the world's highest per capita gross
domestic product. When adjusted for purchasing
power parity, Qatar's per capita
income exceeds $88,000,
making it the world's richest country.
The
Qatari royal family owns and operates the
al-Jazeera satellite television network, an
enterprise that has revolutionized media in the
Middle East and pushed the boundaries of political
discourse in the Arabic-speaking world. Similarly,
through its English-language programming,
al-Jazeera has succeeded in capturing a global
audience. Qatar also fashions itself as a global
business and investment hub.
Just as
important, Qatar has channeled its economic
influence effectively through the QIA and other
state-led investment mechanisms. The QIA purports
to hold more than $100 billion in assets,
including interests in China. In August, QH
purchased a 22% stake in Citic Capital Holdings, a
Chinese private equity firm, for an undisclosed
figure. The QIA owns $2.7 billion in shares of the
Agricultural Bank of China, the third-largest
Chinese bank.
Through initiatives such as
its Qatar Foundation (QF), the emirate also has
set out to fashion itself as an advocate for
technological and scientific innovation, social
and economic development, political
liberalization, philanthropy, cross-cultural
dialogue, women's rights and other worthwhile
goals in the Middle East and around the globe [2].
The popular Doha Debates and Education
City are among the QF's most widely cited success
stories. The QF also has helped build bridges
between Qatar and China through cultural and
educational exchanges. For example, a delegation
of Chinese Muslims attended the QF's Faculty of
Islamic Studies conference on Islamic Economics
and Finance last December.
Despite its
formidable economic influence and effective
application of soft power, it is Qatar's foray
into regional geopolitics that has perplexed
Middle East analysts. The Qatar that bestows a
contemporary and cosmopolitan image is replete
with contradictions.
Qatar is a leading
proponent of the militant Salafist and Wahhabi
ideologies that have helped guide al-Qaeda-style
radical Islamists. A onetime vocal proponent of
the Palestinian cause, Qatar also hosted an
Israeli trade office before shutting it down in
response to Israel's invasion of Gaza in 2008. It
also was widely criticized for its alleged
exploitation of al-Jazeera to advance its foreign
policy goals.
Despite Qatar's alliance
with the United States, al-Jazeera provided a
platform for dissenting positions on US foreign
policy and authoritarian regimes to be aired
across the Middle East - actions that led to
numerous closures of its offices by angry
governments. China already has confronted
al-Jazeera over its coverage of Chinese affairs. A
documentary titled Slavery: A 21st Century
Evil produced by al-Jazeera English and aired
in May examined the issue of forced labor around
the world and devoted a segment to Chinese prison
labor. In response, China refused to renew the
visa of al-Jazeera English's only correspondent in
the country, prompting the station to shut its
office. Al-Jazeera's Arabic bureau in China,
however, was not affected by the decision.
Qatar has interjected itself into the
diplomacy between the United States and the
Taliban by allowing the Taliban to open a
diplomatic mission in Doha - possibly giving
Beijing an alternative to working through Pakistan
to deal with the Taliban.
Qatar has
traversed a fine line that divides the United
Sates and its Arab allies, especially the GCC, on
one side and their rival Iran on the other. In a
general sense, Qatar's stance toward Iran benefits
China. Beijing depends heavily on imports of
Iranian oil and is exploring ways to exploit
Iran's natural gas reserves. As a result, China is
loath to see the United States (or Israel) attack
Iran.
In contrast to Saudi Arabia, for
example, Qatar has taken a much softer line toward
Iran overall - a position reflected in
al-Jazeera's coverage of Iran's nuclear program.
With the onset of popular unrest in the Arab
world, al-Jazeera's editorial line is widely seen
as having shifted in tone to accommodate Doha's
interests, damaging the network's credibility for
many.
Qatar has been on the forefront
among its fellow Arab League members, namely Saudi
Arabia, in lending financial and military support
to the political and violent strains of the Syrian
opposition. It even has called for military
intervention in Syria.
A contingent of
Qatar's tiny army and air force fought alongside
the insurgency and North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces that eventually toppled Libyan
Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi. Despite official
denials, Qatar is also believed to have doled out
millions of dollars to the numerous Islamist
political parties and movements that have
contested elections in countries such as Libya,
Tunisia, and Egypt, particularly entities
competing with foreign-supported factions.
Qatar also has exploited the regional
tumult to further enhance its image as a bastion
of political and economic stability for foreign
investors and members of the international
community wary of the ongoing instability in the
Middle East.
Conclusion The
dynamics behind Sino-Qatari ties in the energy and
financial sectors suggest both countries stand to
gain a great deal by further cooperation. At the
same time, their respective positions on key
issues diverge, including on the uprisings in the
Middle East and the crisis in Syria. China's
principled advocacy of non-intervention in the
affairs of other nations clashes with Qatar's
activist foreign policy and call for armed
military intervention to oust the Syrian regime.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian
Islamic cleric based in Doha who is best known for
his weekly television program on al-Jazeera,
called on Muslims to boycott Chinese products to
protest their continued support for the Ba'athist
regime at the United Nations.
China and
Qatar were also on opposing sides during the
conflict in Libya. Qatar does not shy away from
exercising its clout by defying more powerful
actors and recalibrating its foreign policy to
further its own objectives. These aspects of
Qatar's behavior in recent years will present
China with an interesting set of dilemmas should
their mutual interests deteriorate down the line.
Notes: 1. For more
background on Qatar Holding (QH), see its official
website, www.qatarholding.qa.
For information about the Qatar Investment
Authority (QIA), see its official website, www.qia.qa. 2.
For more background on the Qatar Foundation (QF),
see its official website, www.qf.org.qa.
Chris Zambelis is an analyst and
researcher specializing in Middle East affairs
with Helios Global Inc, a risk-management group
based in the Washington, DC, area. The opinions
expressed here are the author's alone and do not
necessarily reflect the position of Helios Global.
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