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The U.S. still holds sway over the affairs in the Middle East. This has been again proved after the Biden administration successfully halted the development of a port by the Chinese in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).
According to CNN, the port project has been led to the U.S. engaging diplomatically with U.A.E., with several officials and lawmakers convincing the U.A.E. that it could jeopardise the relations between the two. It is also being speculated that what tilted the scales was the possible U.S. threat that the project going ahead could affect the sale of American jet fighters and other weapons to the U.A.E. (https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/19/politics/china-uae-us-construction-port/index.html)
According to other reports emerging from the U.S., the U.S. intelligence suspected that the Chinese were building a port at Khalifa, around 50 miles from Abu Dhabi for more than a year. What raised the concerns was that this was very close to the COSCO, a Chinese shipping major having a container terminal. The Wall Street Journal quotes officials saying that satellite images confirmed that the Chinese were building military installations at the port. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-china-uae-military-11637274224)
Although the U.S. has been acting as an arbiter and been part of the strategy of the Middle-Eastern countries, with an eye on Iran, it is China that has been making the moves with important trade deals and supply of vaccines during Covid. Its military expansion was also expected.
According to those in the know, the halt in the construction at the port is already yielding results for the U.A.E.For instance, recently, Mira Resnick, deputy assistant secretary of state for regional security, said that the F-35 and MQ-9 Reaper drone deal with the U.A.E. would move forward. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-china-uae-military-11637274224)
Read more:
‘Chinese military base’ in U.A.E. abandoned after U.S. intervenes:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/chinese-military-base-uae-construction-abandoned-us-intelligence-report