Category: Mideast
Does the Flurry of Chinese Mideast Diplomacy Point to a Shift in Policy and a Tilt-Away From Africa?
The frenetic pace of Chinese diplomacy with Persian Gulf countries in 2022 is prompting widespread speculation that Beijing is placing a higher priority on its relations with Mideast countries, possibly at the expense of Africa. Contrasting views on this issue emerged ...
An Update on Chinese Diplomacy in the Middle East With Jonathan Fulton
It's been a frenetic start of the year in Chinese diplomacy in the Middle East. Right after he returned from a five-nation tour of Indian Ocean states, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted half a dozen foreign ministers from Persian Gulf ...
Three Down, Three to Go: Wang Yi Meets With Mideast Foreign Ministers and Representatives
Like a high-stakes version of speed dating, Persian Gulf foreign ministers and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met one after the other with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the eastern city of Wuxi outside of Shanghai. The ...
China’s Delicate Mideast Balancing Act on Display This Week
With the visits by Iranian and Saudia Arabian foreign ministers book-ended this week, China is demonstrating how it navigates the Persian Gulf's bitter rivalries. Although Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was characteristically vague about the details of Iranian ...
HRW: Saudi Arabia Preparing to Deport Two Uyghur Men Back to China
Two Uyghur exiles currently jailed in Saudi Arabia have reportedly been told to prepare for their deportation back to China, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). It's not clear if HRW issued the statement about Nurmemet Rozi (Nuermaimaiti on his Chinese passport) ...
When You See This Chart You’ll Understand Why This Week’s Gulf Diplomacy in Beijing is So Important
Charts listing China's top sources of imported oil used to look very different. In 2008, according to David Shinn from George Washington University, three suppliers from African dominated the top ten. At that stage Angola, the Republic of Congo, and Sudan ...
Chinese FM Meets With Afghan Interim Government Delegation During Qatar Visit
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the first high-level talks with the new interim government in Afghanistan. Wang met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's acting deputy prime minister, during the foreign minister's two-day visit to Qatar that began on Monday.
The Complicated, Confusing Nature of China’s Ties With Israel
China has deftly managed its relations in the Middle East across sensitive sectarian and geopolitical landscapes but now that Beijing is moving to become more engaged in the region, it risks falling into many of the same pitfalls that have bedeviled ...