Dan Drezner chimes in:
1) China is cozying up to a powerful country on the periphery of the Middle East;2) Because of its religion and periodically bellicose foreign policy, that country that is viewed as an outsider by the Arab Middle East;
3) This country is pursuing internal security policies that would generously be described as "controversial" by the rest of the world;
4) It's Middle East policy can have pronounced effects on China's own domestic politics;
5) All the while, Chinese energy dependence on the region is increasing rapidly.
Welcome to the Middle East, China!!
Indeed, although thus far that growing presence has been done on the cheap.
