China’s Middle East billions still woefully reliant on US gunboats

China has staked roughly US$145 billion in investments and construction contracts across the Middle East, while Iranian oil alone accounts for 13–14% of its imports. Yet Beijing maintains no permanent military presence in the volatile region, with its only overseas base in Djibouti, thousands of miles away. The result is a structural mismatch at the […] The post China’s Middle East billions still woefully reliant on US gunboats appeared first on Asia Times.