China and the Middle East
The UAE’s tilt to China
As a posterchild of 21st century authoritarianism, UAE seems to learn a lot from the Chinese surveillance state.
Assessing China and Russia’s Moves in the Middle East
As the United States decides when and how to contest China and Russia—in and beyond the Middle East—it will have to resist alarmism as vigorously as complacency.
Gulf States Have Sacrificed Uighur Muslims for Access to China’s Cash
How Saudi Arabia and the UAE, among other Arab Gulf states, have sold out a million 'brother Muslims' in detention camps for multi-billion dollar investments from China.
Kushner: Israel-UAE treaty a ‘massive change’ for the region
President Trump's chief adviser, Jared Kushner, has said the US-brokered Israel-UAE peace treaty represents a "massive change" for the Middle East.
What the new Iran-China partnership means for the region
This new realignment in Asia provides new opportunities not only for China and Iran, but also for Pakistan.
One Chinese injured in deadly Beirut explosion: embassy
One Chinese was slightly injured and no Chinese was killed in the explosion in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Lebanon told media.
Breaking with the past: China hints at greater political engagement in the Middle East
China is contemplating greater political engagement in the Middle East in what would constitute a break with its longstanding effort to avoid being sucked into the region’s myriad conflicts and a bid to counter mounting US pressure to force Gulf states to curtail relations with the People’s Republic.
The China-India Contest in the Middle East
India’s border conflict with China is spilling over into a wider confrontation between the two Asian powers in the Middle East.
Tehran defends 25-year cooperation pact with China
A proposed 25-year cooperation deal between Iran and China has raised controversy within and outside Iran, even before the potential pact is finalized, Anadolu Agency reports.
While...
How the Coronavirus Crisis Exposed the False Promise of Iran-China Partnership
Yet, public health is not the only policy area where Iran’s decisions have been affected by its “comprehensive strategic partnership” (CSP) with China.
Gulf states should consider US ties when dealing with China
Beijing has recently stepped up its Middle East diplomacy efforts. It has sent medical experts and supplies to countries around the world, including several Gulf states, Egypt and Israel, to help combat the disease.
Pompeo’s visit to Israel comes with anti-China message
Lucrative Israeli commercial deals with China are coming under intense pressure from the United States, following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to...
Countries in the Middle East are easing coronavirus restrictions. Here’s what experts have to...
The coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East is likely to remain under control despite the easing of restrictions in recent weeks, as long as social distancing continues to be enforced.
Saudi Arabia Cuts $265 Million Deal With China to Fight Virus
Saudi Arabia will pay China 995 million riyals ($264.6 million) to provide coronavirus tests and medical expertise, Abdullah Al-Rabiah, chairman of the Negotiation and Purchase Committee said Sunday, citing a royal decree.
Coronavirus Economic Impact Could Decimate the Middle East
Amid coronavirus crisis, wealthy Gulf States can no longer provide aid to struggling Arab neighbors and may soon lay off millions of foreign workers
2nd aircraft carrier set to leave the Middle East
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is planning to leave the Middle East, marking the end of the first extended use of two carriers in the region in years amid heightened tension with Iran, two defense officials tell POLITICO.
Saudi Arabia Floods Market with Cheap Oil to Squeeze Out Russia
Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to squeeze Russia’s Urals oil grade out of its main markets by offering its own cheap barrels instead after their long-standing deal to support global oil prices fell apart, seven oil sources said.
Coronovirus has stopped these major events in the Middle East
As the coronavirus has spread around the world, countries and events organisers have been compelled to take measures to stop the spread of the virus and protect their citizens.
Iranian MP dies from coronavirus – Tasnim news agency
An Iranian lawmaker has died from coronavirus, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, in an another sign the disease is spreading within state institutions.
Coronavirus: Iran temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to combat spread
Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails.
Iranian official: 23 MPs tested positive for coronavirus
Iran’s deputy chairman of parliament announced on Tuesday that 23 MPs out of the 290-member chamber have tested positive for the coronavirus, days after suspending sessions.
Iran’s Vice President Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar has become infected with the coronavirus, state news in Tehran reported Thursday, adding to the already mounting concern in the country as the virus continues to spread.
Coronavirus in the Middle East: A country by country guide
The UAE banned all travel to Iran and Thailand over fears about the spread of the virus, state news agency WAM reported on 24 February.
Coronavirus in the Middle East: First case in Lebanon as Iran reports two new...
Iran confirmed two more deaths among 13 new coronavirus cases, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on Friday, while Lebanon and confirmed its first recorded case.
China Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (Middle East routes) falls significantly
The China Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) reported a plunge in freight indices in the Middle East routes.
Not all Uyghurs are terrorists, Turkey tells China
Turkey’s international priest on Sunday stated China must not identify all Muslim ethnic Uyghurs as terrorists, complying with talks with his Chinese equivalent in...
Two die of coronavirus in Iran, first fatalities in Middle East
Two elderly people have died in Iran after testing positive for the new coronavirus, according to health officials. The deaths on Wednesday were the outbreak's first fatalities in the Middle East.
The Pentagon wants money for China, but troops are stuck in the Middle East
The budget proposal is expected to include more rhetoric about the administration’s “great power” rivalries. But those ambitions carry a big price tag.
Coronavirus outbreak will speed up US-China ‘decoupling’ more than the trade war, Milken Institute...
Talk of the risk of the world’s two major powers “decoupling” surfaced as their trade battle, which began in 2018, heated up — leading to billions of dollars of tariffs imposed on each other’s goods.
Erdogan’s Chinese Gamble
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is betting big on China. The result is a Turkish government that is drifting ever deeper into China’s orbit, and away from the West.
Don’t Let Iran Distract From China
Beijing’s bid to dominate Asia is a far greater threat than anything Tehran can do in the Middle East.
Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ after Saudi Arabia attack, as oil prices soar
Donald Trump has said the US was “locked and loaded” and to ready respond to drone attacks on a petroleum processing facility in Saudi Arabia, saying the US knew who was behind them.
Activists hail Qatar withdrawal from pro-China text over Uighurs
Doha, Qatar - Activists have welcomed Qatar's decision to withdraw its signature from a letter signed last month by 37 countries expressing support for China's...
Saudi Arabia strikes $10bn China deal
Saudi Arabia signed 35 economic cooperation agreements with China worth a total of $28bn at a joint investment forum during the visit, according to Saudi Arabia's SPA state news agency SPA.
Did China Steal Iron Dome From Israel?
A cybersecurity firm reports that Chinese hackers have stolen technical data for the Iron Dome rocket-defense system from Israeli computers.
Petrochemicals giant SABIC isn’t worried about China’s growth slowdown
The Middle East’s largest public company is expanding its investments in China despite an expected slowdown in the country’s economic growth, its CEO said Monday.
U.S. NAVY MAY STOP DOCKING IN HAIFA AFTER CHINESE TAKE OVER PORT
Concerns prompt ‘review’ of Shanghai agreement within Israel’s inner security cabinet, sources say.
Saudi Arabia To Raise Oil Shipments To China
Saudi Arabia sealed deals with Chinese oil importers that will see the Kingdom’s exports to China rise to 1.67 million barrels daily in 2019, Reuters reports, citing a statement from state oil giant Aramco.
Israel’s improved ties with China don’t diminish its US alliance
Israel often is called America’s best ally. After the first two years of the Trump Administration no-one can doubt it. Among all of America’s...
‘Trump Will Be Furious’: Tension Between U.S. and Israel Over China Infrastructure Projects
Tightening Israel-China ties have not yet reached Trump's desk, but one U.S. official warns he will not take to it kindly.
China banks stop dealing with Iran ahead of US sanctions
The head of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce Asadollah Askaroladi announced that Chinese banks have stopped dealing with Iranian companies ahead of US sanctions scheduled...
China’s Middle East balancing act doomed to failure
Although ties between Washington and Tel Aviv are stronger than ever, Israeli leaders are aware of a vastly changing political landscape. The US’ own...
Co-hosting trade conference with Netanyahu, China’s VP hails Israeli technology
‘Our bilateral relations are at a new height,’ Wang Qishan tells innovation summit; PM also meets Alibaba’s Jack Ma and former Google CEO Eric...
PM lauds ‘growing friendship’ between Israel, China as he hosts vice president
Wang Qishan, the most senior Chinese official to tour the Jewish state since 2000, visits Western Wall accompanied by Israeli officials during trip focusing...
How Close to China Is Too Close for Israel?
There’s no denying that Monday’s arrival in Israel of Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, the man often dubbed “the second-most powerful in China,” is a coup for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Deadly Chinese drones fly over Middle East battlefields
High above Yemen’s rebel-held city of Hodeida, a drone controlled by government-backed forces hovered as an SUV carrying a top Shiite Houthi rebel official...
The Middle East Doesn’t Take China Seriously
Almost two decades ago, I went to dinner at a restaurant called Peking in the Zamalek neighborhood of Cairo to celebrate the Chinese New...
China defies U.S. pressure as EU parts ways with Iranian oil
China, seeking to skirt U.S. sanctions, will use oil tankers from Iran for its purchases of that country’s crude, throwing Tehran a lifeline while...
China’s power in the Middle East is rising
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, his second Middle East trip, after visiting Saudi Arabia,...
China’s Dangerous Ambitions in the Middle East
The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy, released in December 2017, identified China and Russia as America’s greatest global competitors.
In blow to Trump, China rejects US request to cut Iran oil imports
China has rejected a US demand to cut Iranian oil imports despite Washington’s attempts to bring down the Islamic Republic's oil sales to zero, Bloomberg reports.
China-UAE cooperation growing, says President Xi Jinping
China and the UAE are increasingly cooperating in a number of sectors, including energy, industry and finance, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Writing in...
China Smells Opportunity in the Middle East’s Crisis
Beijing is using the region's ongoing woes to solidify its own geopolitical agenda.
As the Middle East becomes ever more unstable, a surprising victor may...
Israel’s very popular on Chinese social media—thanks to China’s online Islamophobia
With Facebook and Twitter blocked in China, foreign embassies looking to spread their message in China have to turn to WeChat and Weibo—two of the country’s biggest social media sites.
Why China Is Building A New City Out In The Desert Of Oman
Oman intends to change this by building an entirely new, $10.7 billion transit-oriented industrial city on the desertified coast of the Arabian Sea, 550 kilometers south of Muscat.
Closer Ties: China And Saudi Arabia Sign $70 Billion in New Deals
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli made a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia from August 23 to August 25. During his visit, China and Saudi...
Chinese Enrollment at Israeli Universities Skyrockets
From beaches to high-tech expertise, Israel's institutions of higher education offer Chinese students a package they can't resist.
China’s Role in the Yemen Crisis
On July 13, 2017, China’s state news agency Xinhua announced that the Chinese government had successfully delivered its first tranche of humanitarian aid to Yemen’s southern port...
Abu Dhabi; China’s Maritime Silk Road Breaks Into The Middle East
The next stop on China’s “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” has been chosen: Abu Dhabi. At the end of last month, China’s Jiangsu province...
China steps to the plate and offers a Chinese vision to peace between Israelis...
China’s expressed interest in getting more actively involved in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue stems from a concern that any explosion in the...
China, India, and Israel’s Strategic Calculus
Trans-Pacific View author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia...
A China Card for the Middle East
The list of crises plaguing the Middle East is growing. In Yemen, a civil war rages amid an uncontrollable cholera epidemic. In Jerusalem, religious violence...
For China’s Global Ambitions, ‘Iran Is at the Center of Everything’
NEYSHABUR, Iran — When Zuao Ru Lin, a Beijing entrepreneur, first heard about business opportunities in eastern Iran, he was skeptical. But then he...
Netanyahu’s mention of ties with India, China, what Modi told him caught on mic
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his country’s growing technological collaborations with India and China and that they never impose any political condition...
China is increasingly becoming key for Israel’s high-tech industry
China's investors and markets are becoming increasingly important to Israel's economy, and in particular to its booming high-tech industry.
The first IPO (initial public offering)...
Why Do Chinese Reject Middle Eastern Refugees?
Islamophobia is a potent factor, but not the whole story.
June 20 was “World Refugee Day,” but the following days witnessed strong debates over the refugee issue...
China is trying to pull Middle East countries into its version of NATO
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Central Asian security bloc led by China and Russia that is often described as a future Eastern...
China is Getting More Interested in the Middle East
Much has been said about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East but it’s worth remembering that only a few weeks...
China and Saudi Arabia have seduced Trump into being their sweetheart
It’s disappointing but not surprising that in the fifth month of the Trump administration, Germany, Mexico and South Korea are among the big losers...
The Dead Sea to Strengthen China’s Geopolitical Presence in the Middle East
China is a footstep away from winning the tender for Phase 1 of the Middle Eastern 'Red-Dead' water project, launched by Israel, Jordan and...
Qatar Standoff Tests China’s Neutrality on Saudi-Iran Feud
Talks this week on letting Iran join a Beijing-based cooperation bloc highlight the challenge China faces in trying to avoid taking sides in the...
Why Qatar matters to China, in spite of Gulf isolation
The Qatar-China link goes deeper than the New Silk Road, raising broader trade and investment implications in wake of big Gulf diplomatic breakdown.
Arab states’ rift with Qatar clouds China’s plans for Gulf free-trade deal
The shock decision by the Arab world’s strongest powers to isolate Qatar will complicate China’s efforts to reach a free-trade deal with the region,...
How the Gulf row is blocking China’s new Silk Road
Rift between Qatar and its neighbours could disrupt key projects in Beijing’s sprawling trade initiative.
China is downside risk for oil prices as OPEC meets: Analyst
All eyes are on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ahead of a highly-anticipated meeting later Thursday when the oil group looks set...
Aramco tightens grip on top oil market with China refinery
Saudi Arabian Oil Co has agreed to build a refinery and petrochemical plant in China, deepening ties between world’s biggest oil seller and its largest importer.
Are the good times over for Chinese tech investment in Israel?
Chinese investment in Israel rose tenfold in 2016, with tech a key sector, according to data from Thomson Reuters. We spoke to someone on...
Conflict in the Middle East Threatens Pakistan and the Lynchpin of China’s One Belt,...
The Islamic State’s South Asian wing claimed responsibility a day earlier for a bombing near the Baloch capital of Quetta that targeted Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri
Israel’s high-tech sector is thriving, and now China wants in on the action
Go to Israel and chances are you'll install some new apps on your phone, just to keep up. A few years ago that might...
China’s cautious Middle East strategy
It has been more than a decade that the region of the Middle East and North Africa has been through massive political upheavals. Of...
Chinese visitors to Abu Dhabi become largest tourism source market
Nearly 100,000 Chinese visitors flocked to Abu Dhabi in the first three months of 2017 as China surpassed India as the largest overseas source...
What’s Behind China’s Big New Drone Deal?
When China recently revealed it had secured the “biggest overseas purchase order” in the history of Chinese foreign drone sales, it did so in mysterious fashion
Sleepy Pakistani Village Rises as China’s Gateway to Middle East
Over the last six months, the skyline over the sleepy fishing city of Gwadar has been transformed by machines that dredge the Arabian Sea and cranes that set up shipping berths.
China preaches peace for the Middle East
The Chinese government has come out preaching a reconciliatory note to conflict ridden Syria and Palestine.
China has called for a political settlement as the...
Tenfold increase in Chinese investment in Israel
Chinese investment in Israel has jumped tenfold since late 2016 due to increased US protectionism and a tougher regulatory stance adopted by America after...
5,000 Chinese Jihadists Fighting in Middle East – Syrian Ambassador to Beijing
The Syrian ambassador to China has said that upward of 5,000 ethnic Uighurs from China's far-west Xinjiang province are fighting in and amongst jihadist...
China’s Big Play for Middle East Oil
China's Middle East energy footprint has been expanding. In February, it made a deal for a stake in Abu Dhabi’s onshore oil.
Chinese Game Publisher Shinezone Enters Middle East Market, with UAE as the first stop
Chinese game publisher and exporter Shanghai Shinezone Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Shinezone) today announced the company's intent to enter the Middle East market.
Terrorism and global tensions are hurting these vacation hot spots
Fear factors including terrorism, political instability and Trump administration policies are scaring away huge numbers of visitors from traditional destinations.
China’s Role in Post-Hegemonic Middle East
For more than a decade, the Middle East and North Africa region has experienced a level of violence and instability that is unprecedented in...
Dubai sees strong growth from China, Russia, India
Dubai Tourism CEO Issam Kazim has said the government body is keen to ensure it makes Dubai as accessible as possible for tourists from around the world.
Return of a Shanghai Jew
18,000 Jews from Germany, Austria, and Poland immigrated to Shanghai in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
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Tenfold increase in Chinese investment in Israel
Chinese investment in Israel has jumped tenfold since late 2016 due to increased US protectionism and a tougher regulatory stance adopted by America after...
Why Do Chinese Reject Middle Eastern Refugees?
Islamophobia is a potent factor, but not the whole story.
June 20 was “World Refugee Day,” but the following days witnessed strong debates over the refugee issue...
What’s Behind China’s Big New Drone Deal?
When China recently revealed it had secured the “biggest overseas purchase order” in the history of Chinese foreign drone sales, it did so in mysterious fashion
Chinese Game Publisher Shinezone Enters Middle East Market, with UAE as the first stop
Chinese game publisher and exporter Shanghai Shinezone Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Shinezone) today announced the company's intent to enter the Middle East market.
Chinese visitors to Abu Dhabi become largest tourism source market
Nearly 100,000 Chinese visitors flocked to Abu Dhabi in the first three months of 2017 as China surpassed India as the largest overseas source...
Why China Is Building A New City Out In The Desert Of Oman
Oman intends to change this by building an entirely new, $10.7 billion transit-oriented industrial city on the desertified coast of the Arabian Sea, 550 kilometers south of Muscat.
China’s Role in the Yemen Crisis
On July 13, 2017, China’s state news agency Xinhua announced that the Chinese government had successfully delivered its first tranche of humanitarian aid to Yemen’s southern port...
Dubai sees strong growth from China, Russia, India
Dubai Tourism CEO Issam Kazim has said the government body is keen to ensure it makes Dubai as accessible as possible for tourists from around the world.
Terrorism and global tensions are hurting these vacation hot spots
Fear factors including terrorism, political instability and Trump administration policies are scaring away huge numbers of visitors from traditional destinations.
A China Card for the Middle East
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