China better mediator in Middle East: Expert

China, rather than the United States, is better positioned to be a negotiator and mediator among countries in the Middle East, a U.S. expert says.

"The Chinese government talks to everybody in the region," said Jack Midgley, principal of the global consultancy Midgley &Co and an adjunct associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. "China's role as a convener, an advocate, a sponsor of all sides will be much stronger as time goes by."

The U.S. military said on Aug 11 that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Georgia, a nuclear submarine, to the Middle East. The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin issued the order after speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

"It's unbelievably powerful," Midgley said of the ship, whose complement includes 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, each of which can carry a 200-kiloton nuclear warhead.

"The move of the USS Georgia into central command is the clearest possible signal that the U.S. will defend Israel with nuclear weapons if necessary," he said, pointing out that the Pentagon's announcement was a public signal that the firepower could be used to defend Israel and also "a very powerful deterrent signal to the Iranians".

Since October, the U.S. position "has moved toward unconditional support for Israel and away from a more balanced position" that it took in the past, Midgley said.

The U.S. government and officials have repeatedly made statements supporting a two-state solution.

However, since the recent escalation of the conflict in Gaza, "there is no discussion about any topic really by the U.S. other than how much military support Israel needs", Midgley said.

"The Americans used to be the convener. They used to be the authority that everyone could talk to in the Middle East."

Meanwhile, China's position is "a balanced one", he said, adding the country is "better able to address all the parties" than the U.S. is.

"China is calling attention to the need of the Palestinians. At the same time, China has maintained its position that the key to success is restraint, negotiations and a two-state solution.

"So the Chinese government talks to everybody in the region. However, the U.S. remains an essential military partner for everyone in the Middle East. That won't be changed anytime soon."

'Hardly achieved anything'

On Tuesday night, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Qatar, concluding his ninth tour to the Middle East. As with his previous eight trips, this one has hardly achieved anything, Xinhua News Agency commented.

"Despite the declared optimism from the American side, American mediation could not solve the problem between Hamas and Israel, because reaching an agreement will not be easy due to the fundamental differences between them," said Kheir Diabat, a professor of the International Affairs Department at Qatar University.

Mostafa Amin, an Egyptian researcher on Arab and international affairs, said the failure of U.S. mediation in the Middle East and its inability to solve the problem from the outset until now arise from the lack of real pressure from Washington on Israel to stop the war, while it continues to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right officials in the Israeli government had realized that the Joe Biden administration is unable to apply meaningful pressure on Israel because of its preoccupation with the upcoming presidential election and its unwillingness to jeopardize relations with Israel, Amin said.

Midgley said the two-state solution currently is "much farther away than it ever has been", as none of the three requirements for the solution — cease-fire, agreement at some level on borders, and governance for Palestine — are met.

"And I think China's voice for a two-state solution and China's economic influence in the region can help keep this idea alive," he said.

"The U.S. has already taken a position in favor of Israel and is providing unlimited military assistance to the Israelis.

"The second fact is that China maintains good relationships with all of the countries in the region, including Israel.

"This represents an opportunity for China to consolidate and improve its relationships in the Pacific while the United States is busy elsewhere. And I'm sure that Chinese policy will reflect that opportunity."