From Deng’s Reforms to Libya
How and why did the Chinese human and economic footprint develop in some of the most unstable regions in the world like North Africa and the Middle East? As shown in Chapter 3, it happened as part of China’s integration with the world economy. Over time, from Jiang Zemin’s Go Global strategy to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, a strong political support for this allowed for the loosening of the framework that regulates where Chinese companies can carry out what kind of business. Against this background, the presence of Chinese companies in North Africa and the Middle East begun to develop driven by the necessity to secure access to energy and other natural resources. Then, it expanded to include the flow of goods from China to European, North Africa, and Middle Eastern markets. Yet, Chinese companies failed to understand that the growing freedom to act came with the responsibility to secure the success and, most importantly, security of their operations overseas. This is why they were unprepared when the Arab Spring broke out and, therefore, China’s interest frontiers emerged.