Special Article from Xinhua: Middle East 2025 -- Pursuing Stability and Development on the Frontlines and Fault Lines

The region at the heart of transformations. 2025 witnessed profound geopolitical shifts in the Middle East, where the blood of burning conflicts mingled with the ambitions of an independent renaissance. According to Xinhua News Agency’s analysis, the region is experiencing a state of extreme volatility, where military force alone is no longer capable of redrawing maps; instead, the countries of the region have begun formulating a new path based on collective security and structural reform of global governance, thereby embodying a major awakening of the "Global South."

In the photo taken on December 22, 2025, displaced Palestinian children in a temporary camp west of Gaza City. (Xinhua)

Cairo, December 2025 (Xinhua) — In 2025, the world witnessed a Middle East that was highly volatile yet increasingly transformative. With military and political support from the United States, Israel launched strikes on multiple fronts, resulting in conflicts the world has not seen in decades. These disturbances have revealed an inherent instability in the region and persistent security challenges. Amidst profound global changes, Middle Eastern countries are charting a new course — seeking to achieve collective security, independent development, and to drive reform in global governance. These aspirations embody the broader awakening of the Global South. Standing firmly alongside the Middle East in its pursuit of justice, peace, and development, China has provided global initiatives, mediation efforts, practical cooperation, and governance expertise, injecting positive momentum into the region's peace and advancement.

An Intractable Security Dilemma Throughout the year, multiple conflicts persisted in the Middle East, being interconnected and often taking unexpected turns. Despite shifts in regional power balances, the unrest showed no signs of receding. The recent Gaza war surpassed the two-year mark amidst repeated cycles of war and truce. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached in October, but frequent Israeli raids have continued, with more than 400 Palestinians killed since the truce, while disputes over the post-war administration of Gaza remain unresolved.

Today, Gaza is a destroyed city. Local authorities report that the death toll has exceeded 70,000, with over 90 percent of buildings in the Strip destroyed. Palestinians surviving the horrific conflict face supply shortages, skyrocketing prices, and biting winter cold, as the catastrophic humanitarian crisis persists. Throughout the year, the repercussions of the Gaza conflict extended beyond its scope, as Israel launched raids on targets in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. The greatest rupture occurred in mid-June, when a surprise Israeli attack on Iran ignited a "12-day war." The United States entered the conflict directly, bombing Iranian nuclear facilities in a move that sharply escalated tensions and briefly threatened to ignite a full-scale regional conflagration. In early September, Israel launched a raid on a Hamas delegation in Doha, Qatar, thereby expanding the scope of conflict to the Gulf states for the first time, an unprecedented development that shocked and alarmed countries in the region. Meanwhile, internal conflicts in some countries continued. The bloody civil war in Sudan persists with no signs of abating, while Yemen and Libya continue to suffer from divisions. In Syria, even a year after dramatic political shifts, the transitional phase remains "on a tightrope," surrounded by security threats and internal ethnic tensions. The chaos in the Middle East stems from complex historical grievances and the geopolitical maneuvers of external powers. The reckless actions of some countries have dangerously undermined an already fragile security situation.

A woman carries her child in a displaced persons camp in El Fasher, North Darfur State, Sudan, on July 9, 2025. (Xinhua)

2025 has offered harsh lessons to decision-makers and observers: military strikes do not address root causes, force does not achieve true security, and a zero-sum mentality does not lead to a lasting peace. Without justice, signed peace agreements lead only to a "cold peace," rather than genuine reconciliation and permanent stability. Despite the new shifts in the region's geopolitical landscape and power dynamics, the underlying security challenges and structural tensions fueling the conflict remain. Achieving a final resolution to the Palestinian cause within the framework of a two-state solution remains a distant and arduous goal. The Middle East is likely to experience a prolonged period of turbulence, where low-intensity conflict becomes the "new normal."

A Collective Pursuit of Change As the Middle East suffers through cycles of conflict and misery, the region’s leaders and thinkers are searching for a lasting solution. Maha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Kerr-Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, stated, "Governance issues are at the core of the region's problems," noting that lasting peace remains a mirage without political solutions. Essam Shiha, president of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, said that the inability to stop the war on Gaza highlights the shortcomings of the current international system and the degradation of international law into a "selective tool" used by some major powers. Against this turbulent backdrop, a clear trend has emerged: Middle Eastern countries are coordinating their efforts to reach political solutions for regional challenges, while simultaneously seeking greater unity and autonomy. In January, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested "taking control of Gaza," Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Arab nations reacted swiftly and initiated urgent consultations. In early March, an emergency Arab summit in Cairo approved a comprehensive Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (first on the right) speaks at the emergency Arab summit in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt, on March 4, 2025. (Xinhua)

Since the resumption of fighting in March, Doha and Cairo have intensified their mediation efforts through shuttle coordination rounds between Hamas, Washington, and Israel. These endeavors have demonstrated that the region, when working in harmony, is capable of exercising influence long thought to be the exclusive domain of external powers. At the same time, the international community has not stood idly by, particularly the countries of the Global South. As the death toll in Gaza rose and famine worsened, global support for Palestine and condemnation of Israel increased significantly. Global South countries actively defended Palestine, emphasizing the importance of the two-state solution. During the convening of the UN General Assembly in September, a high-level international conference on the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian cause was held. France and several other Western nations announced their recognition of the Palestinian state, increasing the international isolation of Israel and the United States. Although this "wave of recognition" did not halt Israel's unilateral actions, it demonstrates the broader current of transforming global governance. As Amr Hamzawy of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace points out, this signals the growing demands of Global South countries to reshape global governance—a demand so powerful that Western capitals can no longer ignore it. Similar to their counterparts in the Global South, Middle Eastern countries are showing greater resolve to push for the reform of global governance and to seek larger roles in international affairs. Their engagement in multilateral mechanisms, such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, has steadily increased. For instance, over the past year, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, acting as mediators, helped organize numerous rounds of talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, actively bolstering efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Amidst changes the world has not witnessed in a century, an increasing number of Middle Eastern countries are independently exploring new developmental paths. Led by the Gulf states, the region is accelerating the pace of economic diversification, investing heavily in artificial intelligence and renewable energy. In late 2025, Turkey and Iran announced plans to jointly build a railway linking the two countries, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to establish a high-speed railway connecting the two capitals, as part of a broader push for regional connectivity.

Source of Inspiration and Hope While peace and stability represent the aspirations of Middle Eastern countries and the urgent concern of the international community, the four global initiatives and other key proposals put forward by China have contributed to injecting stability and certainty into a turbulent world, contributing Chinese insights and solutions for peace and development.

In the photo taken on February 10, 2025, employees from China and Iraq inspect the operation of generator units at the Wasit Power Plant, in Wasit Province, Iraq. (Xinhua)

Kawa Mahmoud, former Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Communist Party/Iraq, believes that China's initiatives respond to the urgent demands of developing countries for integrity and justice, providing sustainable solutions to current global challenges, and gaining particular importance for the Middle East. The Palestinian cause remains the focal point of regional tensions. Through its active participation in addressing Middle East issues via the UN Security Council and other multilateral platforms, China has proven its principled stance in supporting justice and its constructive role, earning it appreciation and support across the region. At the same time, development and advancement are shared priorities for the countries of the Middle East and the broader Global South. Despite continued instability, the region still holds immense economic potential. The International Monetary Fund reported in October that the Middle East region showed economic resilience in 2025, with its economic growth rate expected to reach 3.3 percent. China is a reliable strategic partner for Middle Eastern countries and a sincere friend to Arab nations. Mutually beneficial cooperation between them continues to grow, promoting sustainable development in the region. A November report by the British think tank "Asia House" indicated that the trade volume between the Gulf states and China in 2024 exceeded their combined trade volume with the United States, Britain, and the Eurozone, while the scope of cooperation has expanded beyond traditional energy to include renewable energy, advanced technology, construction, and other sectors. As noted by Osama el-Gohary, Assistant to the Egyptian Prime Minister, and others, China's newly defined development priorities for the 2026-2030 period align significantly with the development agendas of many Middle Eastern countries, offering new opportunities for fruitful cooperation and shared growth. The theory of Chinese-style modernization and its practical applications, which include China's successful experience in governance, have served as a source of inspiration and hope for Middle Eastern countries in the future. Mohamed Hussein, Senior Undersecretary and Director of the Main Departments of the State Information Service, stated that Chinese-style modernization represents a path distinct from Westernization, offering valuable insights for exploring modernization strategies that align with Arab cultural traditions. Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Arab countries, as the second China-Arab Summit will be held in China. This event will represent a new milestone in bilateral relations, giving new impetus to building a China-Arab community with a shared future at a higher level and making new contributions to peace and development in the Middle East and beyond.