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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 ...

Saudi AI Startup to Ban Huawei Equipment

The head of Humain, Saudi Arabia’s artificial intelligence startup, said he is confident the United States will allow the sale of high-level AI chips. This follows a series of guarantees provided by the company to the U.S. government. They include a ...

Chinese Commentary Says New Saudi-Pakistan Pact Could Lead to an “Islamic NATO”

After Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed their joint defense pact, global attention surged, largely due to Pakistan being the sole nuclear-armed Muslim nation. A detailed commentary published on the popular nationalist news site Guancha analyzes the recent Saudi-Pakistan mutual ...

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%. ...

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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Chinese AI Firms Turn to the Middle East Amid Domestic Funding Crunch

A recent feature in Economic Observer, a business news outlet, shows how Chinese AI companies, squeezed by fierce competition and a shrinking capital pool at home, are pivoting toward the Middle East, where deep-pocketed sovereign funds and ambitious digital transformation agendas are opening new doors.

China’s Middle East Math

There was widespread disappointment in Iran that China didn't do more to help Tehran during the recent 12-day war with Israel and the United States. Beijing, for its part, offered robust rhetorical and moral support, but little else. ...

China’s Hainan Islamic Pilgrimage Stopover Reveals Bigger Plans

China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.

Chinese Perspectives on Trump’s Middle East Tour

By Giorgia Facchini From May 13 to May 16, Donald Trump embarked on his first major international trip of his second term, a four-day tour of the Gulf, with the U.S. President visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates ...

Trump’s Middle East Pivot Aims to Counter China’s Rising Influence

By Maria Papageorgiou The U.S. president, Donald Trump, claimed he was able to secure deals totalling more than $2 trillion for the U.S. on his tour of the Gulf states in May. Trump said “there has never been anything like” the amount ...

Behind the Abaya: Chinese E-Commerce Eyes Persian Gulf’s Hidden ‘Her’ Economy

Narratives surrounding “veiled luxury” beneath the black abayas are electrifying Chinese e-commerce players. Frustrated by the U.S. markets due to the tariff, Chinese e-commerce players are turning to the Middle East's untapped “Her” economy.  Viral ...

China’s Solar Exports to Global South Soar

A new report by the sustainable energy research outlet Ember shows that China’s total solar panel exports rose by 10% last year, but that its exports to the Global South lept by 32%, while exports to the Global North fell by 6%. The developing world overtook developed ...
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