Category: China-Middle East

China and the Libyan Crisis: Maintaining a Foot in the Door in a Changing Region

By Bianca Pasquier and Leonardo Bruni, On November 12, 2025, the Chinese embassy in Tripoli officially reopened after more than a decade. However, the return of Chinese diplomatic staff to the Libyan capital passed largely unnoticed, attracting scant media interest ...

Chinese Officials Hold Talks With OIC Secretary General

China's vice president and foreign minister held talks with the secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Monday, according to a ministry statement and the official news agency, Xinhua. The talks in the Chinese capital of Beijing come amid ...

China, Pakistan Talk Afghan Security

Mohammad Sadiq and Yue Xiaoyong, Pakistan and China’s special envoys for Afghanistan, held an online meeting to discuss the declining security situation in the country. The talks covered growing threats of terrorism, regional stability, and ongoing security cooperation. The talks ...

China Backs Yemen Peace Talks Led by Saudi Arabia

China has expressed support for Saudi-hosted peace talks on the future of Southern Yemen. The proposal for talks in Riyadh preceded Saudi-backed airstrikes on Friday, which reportedly restored control of the Hadramout and Al-Mahrah provinces from the separatist Southern Transitional Council ...

Talks in Iran Highlight Security Challenges with Afghanistan

Representatives from China joined counterparts from several Central and South Asian countries in Tehran to map new approaches to Afghanistan. However, the Afghan delegation did not attend. In addition to the host Iran, the talks included Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Confusing Developments in “Development”

This week I’m in Brussels, where I took part in a workshop on how the EU should shape its development strategy in response to China’s global influence.
I have joked in the past that it feels like I’ve attended this same ‘EU, Africa, and External Development Partners’ conference for ten years straight. 

Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across ...

China Pushes Gulf Cooperation Council to Conclude Free Trade Agreement

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the Gulf Cooperation Council to conclude a free trade agreement that has been in discussion for decades. Wang’s meeting with Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, on Sunday in Riyadh, ...

China and Jordan Discuss Closer Ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday, the conclusion of his trip to the Middle East. He also met with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. The conversations focused on boosting economic cooperation, channeling more ...

China’s Foreign Minister Courts Gulf Leaders Amid Regional Realignments

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday in Riyadh, where the two discussed bolstering the Kingdom's ties with Iran. In 2023, China helped to broker a reconciliation between the two rivals after a ...

China’s Top Diplomat to Visit Middle East This Week

China's top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a tour of the Middle East on Friday for bilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Beijing said Thursday. Wang will visit from 12 to 16 December for talks with ...

China, Iran, Saudi Arabia Reiterate Cooperation, But Barriers Remain

Officials from China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia convened in Tehran for trilateral talks on Tuesday. It was the third meeting of their trilateral committee following China’s brokering of a historical Iran-Saudi detente in 2023. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, ...

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 ...
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