Search

China's military presence and seaport constructions in the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean have prompted hostile reactions from the US, Japan, Australia, and India. Conversely, its dual-use base in Djibouti has not generated as much controversy hitherto. To decipher this enigma, the article analyzes the base within the context of China's 'latent power.' China cultivates latent power for economic interests in the Middle East and Africa, while downplaying the military dimension of its growing global power. The study of Djibouti supports the hypothesis, which reflects China's risk-aversion, pragmatism, low-key behavior, and emphasis on the security-economy nexus. With latent power at its core, China's foreign policy in regions beyond its immediate borders advances its strategy of co-existence while avoiding conflict with its rivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Quasi-mediation diplomacy’ refers to the role a ‘mediating’ state plays in international activities to defend its commercial, political and diplomatic interests rather than core security and strategic interests. This type of mediator acts without seeking to dominate; to follow rather than to lead; to partake in the revision of the agenda rather than setting it; and, to encourage conflict de-escalation in lieu of determinedly engaging in conflict resolution. The dynamics of China’s quasi-mediation diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) depend on their relevance to China’s vital commercial interests, the scope of China’s influence, the level of the great powers’ consensus and the intractability of crisis settlement. Through a comprehensive interchange of the above-mentioned variables, China-styled quasi-mediation diplomacy rests on risk-aversion, revealing divergent forms which can be categorized at four levels, namely, multifaceted intervention, proactive involvement, limited intercession and indirect participation. These four categories of China’s quasi-mediation diplomacy shed light on China’s discreet participation in the MENA conflict resolutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]