The China in MENA Project

Founded and managed by Zineb Riboua, this project tracks the strategic, economic, political, and military dimensions of China’s expanding footprint across the Middle East and Africa.

From debt-fueled infrastructure to velvet-gloved diplomacy, it maps how Beijing uses investment, security partnerships, and influence operations to entrench itself in key capitals and corridors.

As traditional powers falter or retreat, China is quietly redrawing the rules of engagement—offering an alternative model of order, authority, and development. These shifts are not happening on the margins; they are reshaping the global center of gravity, one deal, base, and handshake at a time.

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