People In The Know

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Middle East concluded this weekend with a series of meetings with Iran's top leaders. During his trip, which also took in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, President Xi urged Middle Eastern countries to resolve their differences through dialogue and to tackle regional challenges through development.So what's the outlook for China's relations with the Middle East? How might the lifting of Western sanctions affect China's relationship with Iran? And how might Western powers react to greater Chinese involvement in the region? PIK speaks with James M. Dorsey, Senior Fellow with Nanyang Technology University and Jia Xiudong, Senior Research Fellow from China Institute of International Studies.