Dave Sharma was previously chairman of the Australian parliament's joint subcommittee on foreign affairs and aid, lead diplomatic adviser in the department of the prime minister and ambassador to Israel.
Until now, the Middle East has largely been a backwater for Chinese diplomacy, even as Beijing's influence and ambitions have grown markedly in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and even the Southwest Pacific over the past two decades.
.jpg?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)