New article on Chinese soft power in MENA, Xi to visit Egypt, readout from Xi-King Abdullah meeting, Kuwaiti FM in Beijing
I’ve been burrowed in my office all week getting ready for the new semester, which begins on Monday at my university.
The China-MENA Newsletter
Analysis on China - Middle East relations.
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Latest posts
China-GCC meeting in Riyadh, China-Egypt air exercises begin, China-UAE air exercises announced, Jordanian King’s trip to China wraps up
GCC, China discuss Iranian attacks and regional security - Kuwait Times. A China-GCC meeting was held in Riyadh late last week, the first since the war started although there have been several bilateral meetings at different levels since then. None of the readouts have announced significant outcomes, which isn’t surprising if you’ve been following inter-GCC relations over the past, uh, decade.
Jordan’s King Abdullah in China, UAE satellites launched out of China, and Chinese tankers not in the Gulf.
The big China-MENA news this week is a six-day state visit for Jordanian King Abudullah, who last visited in 2015 when the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement.
Partners, Not Allies: China's Widening Footprint from Cairo to Tehran
I’ve been spending my summer mostly writing academic journal articles.
Back from vacation edition
So, I’m back in Abu Dhabi after a brief vacation and getting back into Gulf mode.
Vacation edition
I’m on a short vacation out of the Gulf this week, so light posting.
SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting Recap
Earlier this week I noted that the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was taking place in Cholpon, Kyrgyzstan, following the Cultural Ministers’ Meeting in the same location.
Recent discussion on the China-Global South Podcast
Not a full post, but sharing my recent conversation with Eric Olander on his China-Global South Podcast.
SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting this week; Mohamad Javad Zarif's vision of a new Gulf; Alsudairi, Ghiselli and Glasserman in Foreign Affairs; Scissors report on China's outbound investment
I wasn’t planning to post today - I have to record a podcast in a couple of hours and am deep into a couple of research articles that have kept me preoccupied over the past several weeks.
Mostly econ, with a dash of security
China’s Evolving Role in Middle East Security - Middle East Council on Global Affairs. This is a webinar I did last week for MECGA, a Qatari think tank that I’ve engaged with several times in the past. The discussion is focused on China’s growing role as a security actor in the Middle East, a concept that I reject outright, at least in the way it’s typically being framed. I’m actually working on…
More signs of life
China-UAE cooperation, China-Egypt talking renewables, China-Syria talking education cooperation, CSCEC gets a contract in Kuwait, China-Oman meeting in Beijing
Funerals, Fees, and Factories
Senior Chinese legislator attends funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader - China Daily.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Beijing
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Beijing yesterday for a 2-day visit, meeting first with Vice President Han Zheng before long discussions with Chinese FM Wang Yi.