Located at an altitude of 800 m in the mountains of Central Asia, Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is often not considered to be the place where international policies are put in place.

Last June, however, world leaders flocked to Bishkek to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an important regional political and security alliance. Attendees included Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

This is a reminder of Tehran's strong ties with the two powers, and that was again emphasized when the three countries conducted joint naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz in the Indian Ocean last month.

After the US killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds task force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, in Baghdad on January 3, Iranian leaders may rely on this alliance to counterbalance the United States.

In a phone call with his Iranian counterpart late last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned "US military adventure", "going against basic rules of international relations, increasing the regional stress and disturbances. " Tehran hopes Beijing can "play an important role in preventing regional tensions."

Other Middle Eastern powers, though they dislike Tehran, are likely to have similar views. The case of the killing of Soleimani by the US makes Middle Eastern countries concerned that Washington is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Therefore, Beijing has a great opportunity to strengthen its influence in the region, according to CNN correspondent James Griffiths.

Unlike Washington, which often speaks up about democracy and human rights of other countries, China wants mutually beneficial solutions. They consider economic and trade development a top concern and that makes Beijing an attractive partner with nations.

The late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping described this approach as "hiding in time". In recent years, however, China seems to feel its "time has come" and moves towards more intervention, including increasing arms sales and expanding its military presence abroad.

China has bases in the Horn of Africa, Central Asia and the South China Sea and is thought to be considering establishing bases in Pakistan. Beijing is replacing Washington as a financial sponsor for developing countries, along with major trade deals across Asia, the Middle East and Africa to implement the Belt and Road initiative.

Many activities taking place in places have long been within the sphere of influence of Beijing, but the Middle East is playing an "increasingly important role" as China wants to rise to become a new superpower, according to analysis for Asian Institute of Social Policy of Lindsey Ford and Max Hill.

"Although China has increased its presence in the Middle East because of economic calculations, it also provides strategic geopolitical opportunities for Beijing," they wrote.

Because the Middle East is politically shaped by competition between both local and international powers, it is not easy for countries to maintain a neutral policy here. However, China has maintained relationships with traditional allies such as Iran and Syria, while improving relations with Iran and Syria rivals such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE. Beijing also uses the UN Security Council membership to curb international efforts against Tehran and Damascus that Washington wants to make.

Tehran's opponents may frown at Beijing's refusal to abandon its old ally to form a new ally, but this policy will be much more welcome after Soleimani's death. When the Middle East is at risk of a new conflict or at least a period of intense escalation affecting global trade, Beijing's advantage is that it can "play" with all parties.

Expert Jonathan Fulton wrote in an analysis for the Atlantic Council that Beijing's interests "lie in a stable Middle East and it has long been assumed that China will have to play a certain security role in here".

"China does not want to reshape the Middle East and take responsibility to protect it here. They want a stable, predictable area where they can trade and invest," Fulton added. "When killing Soleimani, Trump made this difficult to maintain. In the short term, tensions will increase business costs and put many people at risk. However, in the long run, this move can make China increased its power and influence in the Middle East because it assumed a greater responsibility for securing interests in the region. "

Many regional players will applaud that role for China. The contrast between Chinese and American policies has been made clear: while Trump threatened to attack Iran's cultural heritage, Beijing called on the parties to be calm.

"Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been a leading power not only in the Middle East but globally. As China increasingly challenges the US position, the Middle East is likely to be a key arena for the This competition, "wrote Griffiths.