China does not need to replace the US in the Gulf

What the report says

Al Jazeera published an opinion piece by Khalid Al-Jaber arguing that China is expanding its influence in the Gulf without trying to displace the United States as the region’s main security power. The article says recent visits by senior officials from Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to China reflect Beijing’s growing diplomatic reach, even as the Gulf continues to rely on Washington for defence cooperation, intelligence, weapons systems and naval protection.

The piece says China is pursuing leverage through trade, technology and infrastructure rather than military commitments. It points to Chinese stakes in Gulf ports, including the COSCO Shipping Ports role in the Abu Dhabi terminal at Khalifa Port, and says Chinese firms are increasingly tied to sectors such as renewable energy, telecommunications, logistics, electric vehicles and digital systems. The author argues that these links can create long-term economic leverage because they are harder to unwind than troop deployments or naval assets.

For Gulf states, the article presents this competition as part of a broader strategy of diversification and strategic autonomy. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, it says, want both US security backing and Chinese markets, investment and industrial capacity as they build economies beyond oil and gas. The article also references regional security shocks, including the war involving Iran and Israel and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, as reasons Gulf governments are seeking to reduce dependence on any single power.

The argument concludes that Washington should compete more effectively in technology, financing and industrial partnerships rather than treating the contest as a choice between military presence and influence.