China's Foreign Policy in the Arab World, 1955-75: Three Case Studies [Hardcover]

Chinas foreign policy in the Arab world is important because it reflects Chinas general foreign policy. In this study, first published in 1981, the author draws upon a wealth of previously unpublished and inaccessible material to analyse Chinese attitudes in three cases: the two Arab liberation movements, the Palestine Resistance Movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Oman, and the established and independent State of Kuwait. Since the Arab liberation movements played a significant political role within their fields of operation, it was necessary for China to decide whether these movements did actually fit in with Chinese foreign policy objectives. Dr Behbehanis analysis of these two case studies provides the basis for a discussion of whether Chinas motives in supporting the liberation movements are theoretical or purely practical. Chinas support for Kuwaits political internal continuity is related to the stability of the whole Gulf region. The author analyses Chinese support for Kuwait and the surrounding conservative states on two main bases, political and economic, in the form of trade. It is through these channels, particularly the economic one, that China has sought to establish itself in the Gulf and the Arabian peninsula.

1. China and the Arab World  1.1. The Bandung Conference and its Aftermath  1.2. Radicalisation of Chinas Foreign Policy  1.3. The Contradictions of Chinas Three Worlds Theory 1971-5  2. Sino-Palestinian Relations 1955-66  2.1. The Initial Phase: 1955-63  2.2. First Direct Sino-Palestinian Contacts: 1964-5  2.3. The Creation of the PLO and its Relations with China  3. The 1967 June War and its Aftermath: Developments in the Palestine Resistance Movement  3.1. Chinas Attitudes and Involvement in the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1967-9  4. Black September and its Aftermath  4.1. Sino-Soviet Rivalry il³S