Why Is China Staying Out Of The Coalition Against The Islamic State

China supports resolving disputes through negotiations and its 2.3-million strong army, and does so for defensive purposes only, says Beijing. Photograph: Joe Chan /Reuters

Why China Stays Out Of Islamic State Fight, For Now -- Peter Ford, CSM

China is the top oil investor in Iraq, and Islamic State leaders say they have Chinese recruits. But Beijing is reluctant to get involved due to limited military capability in the Middle East and mistrust of US intentions.

Beijing — One might expect China to be heavily involved in the international fight to stop Islamic State jihadists from taking over Iraq and Syria: For starters, China is the number one investor in Iraq's oil industry. Yet, Beijing is almost nowhere to be seen in anti-IS coalition discussions. Why?

There are reasons enough for China to get involved. The Asian giant’s economy depends on the Middle East for half its imported energy. China now imports more oil from the region than the United States does.

And as the Chinese authorities step up their battle against increasingly violent Muslim separatists in the western province of Xinjiang, Islamic State leaders boast of Chinese recruits to their self-declared caliphate.

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My Comment: China gets far more oil from the region than what the U.S. is getting ... so their absence is striking. My guess is that since the U.S. is already doing all the dirty work in combating the Islamic State ... the Chinese have made the decision to stay on the sidelines. As to their military capabilities ... China is already showing that they are capable of deploying large number of troops to any troubled spot in the world very quickly .... China To Send UN Troops To South Sudan, Denies Deployment Related To Oil Investment (IBTimes)