Xi Jinping is keen to deepen China's links with Arab states and countries in the Persian Gulf. Investment in the region's infrastructure is supported through the Belt and Road Initiative. In return, China expects to be able to secure long-term contracts for its energy. Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking credit for a recent rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this podcast hosted by the SOAS China Institute, Zuri Linetsky from the Eurasia Group Foundation discusses China's role in the Middle East with Tuvia Gering, a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.