Category: China-Middle East

Mediterranean Anxieties Over the Sino-Moroccan Rapprochement: French, Algerian, and Tunisian Media Perspectives

By Bianca Pasquier On October 31, 2025, China abstained from the United Nations Security Council vote endorsing Morocco’s “Western Sahara Autonomy Proposal” for resolving the conflict between Rabat and the Polisario Front. Two days prior, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly ...

Riyadh and Beijing Push Ahead With Tech Cooperation as Saudi Firms Distance From Huawei

Saudi Arabia and China are moving to deepen their already sizeable cooperation across a range of advanced technologies. The kingdom’s National Industrial Development Center held a meeting on Wednesday with a delegation comprising leaders of 30 leading Chinese companies. Led by ...

New Insights Emerge About Iran’s Secretive (and Very Lucrative) Trade With China

It's been an open secret for years that China and Iran figured out some very creative ways to circumvent international sanctions to conduct billions of dollars in trade every year. Until now, though, it just wasn't clear how they did it. ...

Iran Recalls European Ambassadors After Failure of China-Led UN Vote

Iran recalled its ambassadors to the UK, Germany, and France, following the defeat of a China-led draft resolution in the UN Security Council to prevent the reimposition of sanctions against the country. China and Russia pushed the delay in the ...

Iranian Experts Debate the Future of the Iran-China Relationship After the Twelve-Day War

By Theo Nencini and Veronica Turrini The Israel–Iran conflict of June 13–24, 2025 – christened the “Twelve-Day War” by U.S. President Donald Trump following his precariously brokered truce – represented the culmination of a protracted, multidimensional, and steadily escalating confrontation between Tel Aviv ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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Spike in Chinese Oil Imports from Indonesia Sparks Iran Rumors

A surge in oil imports from Indonesia to China over the last two months has sparked allegations that China may be importing sanctioned Iranian oil via the Southeast Asian country. Since July, China has imported 2.7 million tons of crude oil ...

Social Media Users Backed by the Chinese State Ensure Heated Exchange Caught on Video Stays Viral

A viral video that captured a heated exchange last week between one of China's most acclaimed foreign policy scholars and Israel's defense attaché in Beijing spiked in viewership over the weekend as ties between the countries further deteriorated. The dispute between Yan ...

Disputes Over Gaza, Iran, and Taiwan Sour China-Israeli Ties

In the nearly two years since the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, China's ties with the Jewish state have been tense but largely stable. Clearly, the Israeli government has not been happy over China's outspoken support for its enemies in the Palestinian territories and ...

An Unreliable Friend: Arab Perspectives on China After the Twelve-Day War

Francesco Scala and Leonardo Bruni This edition of the ChinaMed Observer builds upon our ongoing research analyzing local, regional, and Chinese perspectives on China’s role in the Middle East in the aftermath of the “Twelve-Day War” between Israel and Iran. Whereas ...

China and the Middle East: The Future in Three Scenarios

China's rapidly expanding presence in the Middle East has sparked a mix of anxiety and excitement, depending on one's perspective. Washington regards Beijing's support of Iran and the Palestinian cause, among other things, as key threats to its strategic interests. While ...

Saudi Minister Leads High-Level Investment Delegation to China

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment, Khalid Al-Falih, is in Beijing with a high-powered delegation to discuss new trade and investment cooperation. China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, and Chinese foreign direct investment by stock increased 28.8% last year, while investment inflows jumped by 164%. ...

China Warns Against Gaza Occupation

China has called on Israel to halt its recently announced plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip. Geng Shuang, China’s envoy to the United Nations, said on Tuesday that Beijing is concerned about the plans, and called on Israel to “immediately halt such dangerous actions.” ...
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