The United States and China are pursuing sharply different strategies in a region that is no longer best understood as the “Middle East,” but as part of a broader Asian-centered geopolitical system historically described as “West Asia.”
This vast region stretches from countries along the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, all the way to the Eastern Mediterranean. While the U.S. remains the undisputed military hegemon in this theater, China is steadily becoming the indispensable economic power, providing access to vast pools of capital, new technology, and expanding trade.
