Mediation diplomacy by mimicry: the US-China rivalry and soft power in the context of Gaza War

초록

The return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency in 2025 has intensified the strategic rivalry between the United States and China in the Middle East, particularly amid the ongoing fallout from the Gaza War. While existing literature has focused on material dimensions of the rivalry, this article directs attention to the realm of mediation diplomacy. Specifically, it examines how China's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict has evolved before and after the war, and how it differs from that of Western powers. In doing so, it proposes a performative understanding of mediation that moves beyond traditional bilateral engagement models. Rather than evaluate China's capacity to directly broker Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the article examines how China's diplomatic discourse might function as a site of norm contestation and order-making within the contemporary multipolar system. It argues that China's mediation diplomacy contributes to discursive openings through which alternative visions of justice, order, and global governance can be articulated. Crucially, such mediation practices are not just shaped by state interests but are co-constituted by regional audiences whose interpretations give them meaning and legitimacy.

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