In Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2025, an airstrike broke the illusion of so-called “American protection.”
Fifteen Israeli fighter jets broke into airspace without permission, bombing residential areas killing six people, including one Qatari officer.
The Udeid base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, with tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of fighter jets stationed here, the radar has long captured the Israeli military trajectory, but has remained silent, not even one interception.
After the incident, the White House used only the words "very sad", and more reports revealed that the United States had been aware of the attack plan in advance, but chose to be cold-eyed.
At the same time, weapons purchased by Middle Eastern countries from China are constantly being implemented: Saudi Arabia has more than 300 pterosaur drones, and the HQ-22 air defense system is deployed at the border;
Egypt patrols the Sinai Peninsula with Rainbow-4, and the United Arab Emirates relies on pterosaurs to protect low-altitude security. China equipment can be seen in the arsenals of 18 Middle Eastern countries.
But from the beginning, China has made it clear that it will not follow the path of a "protector." Neutral stance and unconditional arms trade are not the same thing as the "hegemonic protection" of the United States.
Over time, Middle Eastern countries truly realized the problem.
Choice of the Middle East
The security anxiety in the Middle East has never been "lack of weapons" but "lack of independent defense capabilities."
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has lasted for decades, the civil war in Yemen has reached a deadlock, extremist organizations are harassing sporadically, and external powers are frequently intervening. These countries' own military-industrial systems are weak, and it is almost impossible to rely on local forces to ensure security.
In this difficult situation, their choice is divided into two parts: Find China to replenish equipment and rely on the United States to find the bottom line.
China's weapons just meet the needs of "replenishing equipment" and are purely commercial cooperation without any political conditions attached.
Saudi Arabia introduced the Rainbow-4 drone for the first time in 2014 and put it into use directly after arrival; it even wants to go one step further and cooperate with China in the civil engineering pterosaur drone factory.
By 2024, Wing-2 alone will have more than 300 aircraft in service, each costing millions of dollars, more than half as much as the U.S. equivalent.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia spent another $4 billion to purchase Chinese drones and missiles, even the tough laser air defense system failure, Chinese experts also went to the desert for the first time to debug and repair, all the time only talking about technology, without mentioning any additional requirements.
Egypt, United Arab Emirates and other countries also followed suit. Egypt bought Rainbow-4 to protect the Sinai Peninsula, and United Arab Emirates used pterosaurs for low-altitude defense. 18 countries in the Middle East have chosen Chinese weapons, the core of which is the view of "good use, cheap, without adding trouble."
But the Middle East has relied on the United States in the past on the “security pocket,” which is more like a “helpless inertia.”
The United States has built eight permanent military bases in the Middle East, and 40,000 U.S. troops are scattered in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other places. Aircraft carriers often cruise the Persian Gulf in the name of "escort".
Even if the United States always binds conditions when selling weapons, Middle Eastern countries can only tolerate oil interests, political sides, and even frequent difficulties in selling key equipment.
In their past knowledge, The United States has troops and bases, which seem to provide "instant protection."While China only sells weapons without interfering in conflict, it does not naturally become “ultimate reliance.”
But this inertia was completely broken after the attack in Qatar.
Illusion is broken.
The attack in Qatar was not a coincidence, but a shrinkage of U.S. “selective protection.”
Over the years, the United States '"protection" in the Middle East has always been utilitarian: against Iran, the United States will often send aircraft carriers to deter and engage in joint military exercises; but once Israel is involved, the United States will change its face.
In September 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration with 142 votes in favor, demanding that Israel cease fire and return the occupied areas in the West Bank.
But the U.S. not only did not put pressure, but the Secretary of State also traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Netanyahu in private, implicitly prompting Israel to advance the West Bank annexation plan.
When Qatar was attacked, the U.S. military openly watched the allies be attacked and did not act, essentially the U.S. put Israel’s interests above its Middle Eastern allies. The so-called "protection" is just a tool to see the object and cook.
And China sells equipment, not “security services,” which was clear from the beginning.
China will never, like the United States, intervene in regional conflicts in the name of "protection", and China's neutral position has determined that it will not deploy troops and will not dominate regional security.
Buying weapons is a business cooperation, how to use and how to build defense is the country’s own matter.
The countries of the Middle East now realize that the “protection” of the United States is conditional and that every time it touches Israel’s interests, its allies will be sacrificed.
China's "non-protection" is principled, does not interfere in internal affairs, does not choose sidelines, although it can not give "instantaneous bottom", but will not tie them into the geo-game whirlwind.
Previously, they felt that Chinese weapons “do not have a sense of security”, in fact, it was wrong to take U.S. “hegemony protection” as a standard of security, ignoring the respect behind China’s neutral position.
Matters in the Middle East should be decided by the Middle East countries themselves.
A clear conclusion.
Middle Eastern countries have now finally recognized a core fact: Safety never comes from buying weapons or protecting others.
The “protection” of the United States is hegemonic bondage, and it can sacrifice its allies for its own benefit at any time; China’s weapons are practical tools that can fill defensive gaps, but can’t “shut down promises.”
Because of China's neutral position, it would not interfere in the internal affairs of others or interfere in regional conflicts.
In recent years, they just regarded the "garrison protection" of the United States as the standard, but they didn't realize that the essence of this protection was "attachment".
And China provides the "independent foundation", selling drones is to help them improve their reconnaissance capabilities, selling air defense systems is to help them fill defensive gaps, and engaging in local production is to help them build their own military industry.
These are all giving Middle Eastern countries the tools to "stand up on their own" rather than allowing them to continue to rely on others.
China will continue to provide weapons and technical support under the principle of neutrality, without additional conditions and without interference in internal affairs.
The United States is also likely to take a "interest priority" mindset and engage in selective protection in the Middle East.
What Middle Eastern countries need to do is to completely abandon the illusion of "relying on others," make good use of China's weapons, build a local defense system, and promote cooperation among regional countries.
After all, only the strength in their own hands is a truly reliable security guarantee, and the Middle East countries now understand, the next thing to do is step by step to take action.