Tunisia’s location on the Mediterranean Sea has lent itself to close ties with Europe over many decades, but President Kais Saied seems to be spurning the West now in favor of currying favor with China.

Although China’s relations with the Arab Gulf States are expanding and grabbing international headlines, they face a major obstacle. China shuns military alliances, whereas the Arab Gulf States have heavily relied on external security guarantees since their independence. This significant gap in the national strategies of the two sides will prevent the relationship from advancing into higher geopolitical realms, limiting cooperation to secondary areas in an era of shifting power centers. Amidst various ongoing shifts, security matters continue to shape regional geopolitics.

Do three recent high-level meetings mean that Beijing wants to fill a vacuum? No — there is no vacuum, despite a comment by U.S. President Joe Biden. The goal of Arab people in seeking friendly relations with China is not security but development.

China is becoming more engaged in the Middle East, but there are limits to the depth of this engagement. While trade links have deepened and investments have increased, energy resources remain the centrepiece of Chinese involvement and any official stance on the plethora of complex political issues are strongly eschewed.