Kings of the East

My Way News - Jordan's king calls for China role in Syria crisis
My Way News reports: "Jordan's King Abdullah called on China to play an active role in resolving the conflict in Syria, saying Wednesday that Beijing should use its influence as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and as a 'friend of Jordan and the Middle East.' Abdullah made his appeal in his opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to China. [...] China has sought to play a bigger role in the Middle East as part of efforts to stand among leading nations in helping shape world events. Abdullah is the latest in a string of Middle East leaders to visit Beijing, and China has frequently dispatched diplomats to the region to nurture ties with all parties, including Israel."

Comment: It's only in recent history that we have begun to document any reason for powers from the far east to be interested in Israel and the Middle East.  China wants to demonstrate leadership as a world power and that necessarily means involvement in what some have called the "epicenter" of world politics: the Middle East. China also has a large and growing economy that needs oil and the Mideast is a primary market for them. As the U.S. steps back from that region, China's influence seems destined to grow.