Newsletter: China-Middle East Huawei faces US court test over Iran ties By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse China holds its ground in Middle East AI race Last Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Egypt for the first time in a decade, with the trip coinciding with efforts by Beijing to expand its AI footprint in the country. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Saudi Arabia taps China’s MiniMax for Arabic AI model The development signals that the kingdom continues deepening AI ties with China while simultaneously pursuing major US technology partnerships, keeping the Gulf state at the center of an intensifying technology race between the superpowers. Saudi Arabia
Xi makes first Egypt visit in decade as Cairo gets caught in US-China AI row China's Huawei last month submitted a bid to build advanced AI data centers and supply more than 2,000 AI chips for Egyptian government systems. Egypt
Analysis UAE-China air drills deepen with fourth Falcon Shield exercise By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Newsletter: FutureVerse Economic D-day’s tech risks By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Israel’s prolonged Gaza war offers China strategic opportunity in Mideast Israel’s continuous military operations in Gaza have likely offered China unexpected help in its rivalry against the US. By Andrea Ghiselli In Shanghai, reporting on China in the Middle East
How significant is Egypt and China’s naval exercise in Mediterranean? The exercise follows Egyptian President Sisi’s May trip to Beijing, as well as Chinese interest in Egypt’s ports and tech sector. Egypt
Iran's foreign minister nominee vows to prioritize Russia, China ties Iran's prospective foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, offered a cautious foreign policy pitch ahead of lawmakers' vote on his nomination, saying Tehran's stance toward the JCPOA would remain the same. Iran
Analysis Hamas reshuffle constrains China as Yahya Sinwar consolidates power Ismail Haniyeh was no ally of Beijing, but he and Hamas' political wing emerged in recent years as a bridge to expand China's diplomatic influence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. By Joyce Karam
Analysis What's behind China carmakers' foray into Turkey following BYD deal? As a growing number of Chinese carmakers have shown interest in investing in Turkey, Turkish companies in the sector are positioning themselves amid the Chinese foray. By Mustafa Sonmez In Istanbul, reporting on economics
China’s Baosteel ups investment in Saudi steel plate venture to $1B A subsidiary of the world’s largest steelmaker, China Baeowu Steel Group, will have a 50% stake in a major new Saudi-based venture. Saudi Arabia
UAE, China, Russia, Turkey violating Sudan arms embargo: Amnesty Amnesty International reports foreign countries sending weapons and ammunition to the warring sides in Sudan, where civil war has raged for more than a year. Sudan
'The Beijing Declaration,' China brokers Hamas-Fatah unity deal: What we know China’s role in the region has been growing in recent years, reaching its peak with the signing of a declaration by Palestinian factions in which they agreed to form a unity government. Palestine
Saudi-China energy cooperation strengthened by Uzbek wind project sale Both Saudi Arabia and China are seeking to tap into Uzbekistan's and Central Asia’s energy potential. Saudi Arabia
Guarded optimism on Palestinian reconciliation ahead of Fatah-Hamas meeting in China Officials in Ramallah say that Hamas accepting the creation of a Palestinian state within the framework of the two-state solution is crucial to progressing Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Palestine
Iraq-China ties progress with Nasiriyah airport project Relations between Iraq and China are strengthening, in part due to Chinese interest in Iraqi oil and infrastructure projects. Iraq
China, UAE hold air force drills in Xinjiang as defense relations grow The joint air force training exercise, dubbed Falcon Shield, began on Wednesday in the northwest Xinjiang province of China and will continue until late July. United Arab Emirates