{"id":1292334,"date":"2023-05-22T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T04:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/why-the-middle-east-will-be-vital-in-any-u-s-china-conflict\/1292334\/"},"modified":"2023-05-22T00:10:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T04:10:19","slug":"why-the-middle-east-will-be-vital-in-any-u-s-china-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/why-the-middle-east-will-be-vital-in-any-u-s-china-conflict\/1292334\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Middle East Will Be Vital In Any U.S.-China Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/why-middle-east-will-be-vital-any-us-china-conflict\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"6345794f-8183-458a-9018-61359ce92999\" class=\"inline-images image-style-inline-images\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/2023-05-19_2jsbgzy4pq.jpg?itok=NcKpFO2I\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">Why The Middle East Will Be Vital In Any U.S.-China Conflict<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Geopolitics\/Middle-East\/Why-The-Middle-East-Will-Be-Vital-In-Any-US-China-Conflict.html\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Authored by Haley Zaremba via OilPrice.com,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>As tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate, the importance of the Middle East for these two superpowers is only growing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>China is heavily dependent on energy imports from the Middle East and has struggled in recent years to keep up with its rising energy demand.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>While much has been made of the U.S.\u2019 waning influence in the region, it retains a significant footprint throughout the Middle East and multiple key allies.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the United States and China ever enter into conflict, one of the key battlegrounds could be the Middle East. China has been busily trying to shore up its energy security and diversify its energy portfolio around the world, but the country remains heavily dependent on the Middle East for oil. Unfortunately for Beijing, the United States retains a significant amount of leverage and military might in the region which could be used as a powerful weapon in a war of wills between the two global superpowers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Maintaining a reliable and increasing energy supply is crucial to the well-being and continued growth of the Chinese economy. But as the country continues to develop, Beijing is having a hard time keeping up with demand. For\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-58733193\" rel=\"noopener\">several<\/a>\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/jul\/26\/chinas-long-running-heatwave-raises-electricity-usage-and-causes-blackouts\" rel=\"noopener\">years<\/a>\u00a0in a row, China has suffered major rolling blackouts, with entire cities sometimes going dark for extended periods. And last year, China\u2019s energy industry underwent an extreme stress test as\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Coal\/Hydropower-Shortage-In-China-Sends-Coal-Prices-Higher.html\" rel=\"noopener\">drought<\/a>\u00a0crippled the domestic hydropower sector at the same time that the global energy market was in crisis due to a myriad of factors stemming from Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Beijing has been hard at work increasing the size and breadth of its own energy empire, paying special attention to increasing its energy footprint in developing countries with large and mostly untapped energy production potential. Back in 2020, Barron\u2019s proclaimed that <strong>China had already become \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/the-global-energy-trades-new-center-of-gravity\/\" rel=\"noopener\">the center of gravity for global energy markets<\/a>\u201d, and its sphere of influence has only\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Geopolitics\/International\/Chinas-Energy-Influence-Is-Growing-In-Emerging-Markets.html\" rel=\"noopener\">continued to grow<\/a>\u00a0since then. <\/strong>On top of Beijing\u2019s heavy investing in other nation\u2019s burgeoning energy markets, China has also blown everyone else away in terms of\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Alternative-Energy\/Renewable-Energy\/China-Is-Crushing-The-Competition-In-Clean-Energy-Spending.html\" rel=\"noopener\">clean energy spending<\/a>\u00a0in recent years. But it\u2019s still not enough to fill the country\u2019s nearly insatiable hunger for additional energy supply.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that Beijing is extremely worried about the precariousness of China\u2019s energy security as the country\u2019s economy continues its upward trajectory and demand continues to skyrocket. The country remains\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fpif.org\/in-the-middle-east-u-s-holds-china-at-risk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">hugely dependent<\/a>\u00a0on imports to meet its energy needs. It is the second biggest consumer of oil in the world, after the United States, and an incredible 72% of this is imported. The Middle East alone is responsible for about half of those imports. This renders the country\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fpif.org\/in-the-middle-east-u-s-holds-china-at-risk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">extremely vulnerable<\/a>\u00a0to energy sanctions or other kinds of strategic energy blockading. Indeed, the Suez Canal, the Bab al-Mandab, and the Strait of Hormuz are all critical shipping routes that could be blocked with relative ease by Middle Eastern leaders.<\/p>\n<p>The United States is well aware of this Achilles heel, and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has openly discussed the possibility of wielding its influence in the Middle East to ensure leverage over China if one of the many sources of tension between the oft-altercating superpowers were ever to come to a head.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cGod forbid there\u2019s ever a conflict with China, but we could end up holding a lot of their economy at risk in the CENTCOM region,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> General Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/armedservices.house.gov\/hearings\/full-committee-hearing-us-military-posture-and-national-security-challenges-greater-middle\" rel=\"noopener\">congressional hearing<\/a>\u00a0in March of this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The United States has built up a considerable and enduring military presence in the Middle East after decades of involvement in and waging wars in the region, including the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against the Islamic State. Instability from these conflicts and power vacuums left by ousted regimes has led to considerable instability in the region, resulting in heavy reliance on U.S. aid and military presence in many countries. As such, many of these countries are tightly aligned with the U.S. and host tens of thousands of troops \u2013 a number that could increase many-fold at the drop of a hat thanks to established bases, relationships, and infrastructure on the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cU.S. posture in the Middle East remains significant,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> Defense Department official Celeste Wallander wrote in a statement to Congress.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cDoD is ready to rapidly flow significant forces into the region and to integrate those forces with partners based on decades of military cooperation to enhance interoperability and address any contingency,\u201d Wallander noted.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While we all hope that conflict with China can be avoided, <strong>there\u2019s no denying that there is no shortage of flashpoints where tensions between the very different ideologies of East and West could escalate to a conflict that would have widespread repercussions <\/strong>for economies and energy markets around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>      <span class=\"field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden\"><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"View user profile.\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.zerohedge.com\/users\/tyler-durden\" lang=\"\" class=\"username\" xml:lang=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden\">Mon, 05\/22\/2023 &#8211; 03:30<\/span><\/p>\n<p>From:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/why-middle-east-will-be-vital-any-us-china-conflict\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Why The Middle East Will Be Vital In Any U.S.-China Conflict\" rel=\"noopener\">Zerohedge<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why The Middle East Will Be Vital In Any U.S.-China Conflict Authored by Haley Zaremba via OilPrice.com, As tensions between the U.S. and China continue&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1292334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbimBl-5qc6","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1292334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1292334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1292334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1292334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}