Remember “no blood for oil”? Decades ago, the slogan emblematized opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Its logic subsequently shifted as the United States experienced a gas and oil revolution thanks to fracking.
It has cycled back into relevance following the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela and the seizure of its oil, which, despite its carnivalesque tone, left at least 80 people dead. The Iran war has now ...
Category: Mideast
China Says ‘Glimmer of Hope’ on Iran War Talks
China's top diplomat has said a "glimmer of hope" for peace has emerged amid efforts to end the war in the Middle East, despite Tehran vowing to keep fighting. The White House has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump is ready ...
China Shipping Giant Cosco Says Resumes Bookings to Some Gulf Countries
Chinese shipping giant Cosco said on Wednesday that it was resuming new bookings for container shipments to some Gulf countries, after a three-week suspension in response to the Middle East war. The state-owned, Shanghai-based firm was among several major shipping groups ...
China FM Tells Iran Counterpart ‘Talks Better Than Fighting’
China's top diplomat urged his Iranian counterpart in a phone call Tuesday that "talking is always better" than fighting, after Tehran denied Donald Trump's claim that negotiations were underway. The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has spiralled throughout ...
The Limits of China’s “Wait and See” Approach in the Iran War
By Lukas Fiala Lots of ink has been spilled about the war in Iran and its implications for China in the Middle East and the Global South at large. One narrative suggests that despite oil market disruptions and political instability across ...
Cathay Suspends Dubai, Riyadh Flights Until April 30 Over Middle East War
Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until the end of April over the war in the Middle East. "In view of the developing situation in the Middle East," all Cathay Pacific flights ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
FT: Trump Pressures China to Help Reopen Strait of Hormuz, Warns NATO of “Very Bad” Future
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if U.S. allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz, in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday. Trump told the FT he ...
China Donates $200,000 to Families of Iran School Strike Victims
China said on Friday it will donate $200,000 to the parents of students killed in what it called an "indiscriminate" missile strike on a school in Iran early in the Middle East war. Tehran has accused the United States and Israel ...
Analyst View: Iran Conflict Could Strengthen China’s Strategic Position
China is reportedly weighing an expansion of its strategic oil reserves as the war involving Iran raises concerns about potential disruptions to energy flows from the Middle East. While Beijing is preparing for supply shocks as the world’s largest crude importer, some ...
Chinese Ship Among First to Transit Strait of Hormuz as Iran ‘Regulates’ Traffic
A Chinese-linked cargo vessel was among the first commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday after days of disruption linked to the Iran conflict, highlighting how tightly traffic through the critical oil chokepoint is now being controlled. Passage ...
Cathay Says Surcharge to Rise as Fuel Prices Jump During Mideast War
By Tommy Wang Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific said on Wednesday that fuel surcharges would rise after prices soared in March with the outbreak of war in the Middle East. The price of fuel ...
Ships Brandish China-Links to Weave Through Strait of Hormuz
Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analyzed by AFP. Iran has ...
China Says Opposes Any Targeting of New Iran Leader
China said Monday that Iran's decision to name Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader following the killing of his father was a domestic matter, and it opposed any attempt to target him. Israel's military has threatened to target any successor ...