The article analyzes the role and importance of the countries of the Middle East in the modern world, mentions the historical past of the region as the cradle of several ancient civilizations and three world religions, one of the most important political, economic, religious and cultural centers of our planet. The author notes that for millennia there was a fierce struggle of the so-called pretenders to world domination for influence in the Middle East. External forces in the form of various empires and states failed to subjugate the countries of the Middle East or make them their instruments in foreign policy. In the post-Cold War era, the US has attempted to dominate the Middle East under its concept of a unipolar world. However, the vast majority of countries in the region, primarily the Arab states, preferred to maintain relations with the Russian Federation, began to develop their relations with China, India, and other world and regional powers. Even Washington's allies in the Middle East, represented by Israel and Turkey, retained their sovereignty in foreign policy. Almost all the countries of the region adhere to the line of diversifying their external relations, showing interest in participating in the work of new authoritative independent international organizations such as the SCO and BRICS. The visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia in December 2022 and his participation in two summits of the Arab states demonstrated the mutual interest of the countries of the region and China in the accelerated development of the entire range of their bilateral and multilateral relations. The author highlights the contrast in the reception of a Chinese guest in Riyadh compared to Joe Biden's rather vague summer 2022 visit to the KSA capital. Washington clearly failed to draw the Arab countries into its foreign policy games. All countries in the region, including Israel and Turkey, chose to take a neutral position with respect to the Ukrainian crisis, and the hydrocarbon exporting countries did not increase their oil and gas production and exports to the world market, despite persistent requests and pressure from Washington. The article concludes that the Middle East prefers to adhere to the model of a polycentric world, where all countries and regions have equal rights and opportunities, including the right to pursue an independent foreign policy.