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China

March 18, 2026

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Lin Jian

China to send aid to Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan as Trump delays Beijing summit

The aid announcement comes as President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his late March visit to China would be postponed.

Close-up of an LPG dispenser nozzle filling a car's fuel tank. This illustrates the use of alternative fuel sources for automobiles. LPG is a cleaner-burning fuel compared to gasoline.

Asia liquefied petroleum gas prices spike after damage to Saudi facility

Swaps for LPG delivered to East Asia next month soared to more than $600 per ton, their highest since April 1, 2025, after Saudi state energy firm Aramco said it would be canceling some deliveries.

Latest News

Russia, China, Iran to hold joint naval drills in Strait of Hormuz: What to know

A missile launches from IRIS Sabalan, an Alvand-class frigate of the Iranian Navy, during the Velayat 91 drill in the Gulf of Oman on January 1, 2013. The Velayat 91 drill is a sixday Iranian naval exercise held in late December 2012 and early January 2013 across the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the northern Indian Ocean to test naval readiness and secure strategic waterways. (Photo by Mohammadali Najib / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Iran dispatches senior official to China amid talks push with US

(L-R) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Chinese Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi hold a press conference after their meeting in Beijing on March 14, 2025.

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

Dale Aluf

In Amsterdam, reporting on China in the Middle East

Emil Avdaliani

Andrea Ghiselli

In Shanghai, reporting on China in the Middle East

AFP via Getty Images

Who is Iran’s new ambassador to China?

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli served in various capacities during both administrations of President Hassan Rouhani in a career marred with the brutal crackdown against the 2019 protests.

Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

China expands foothold in Egypt’s Suez with $17M garment deals

China has signed more than a billion dollars' worth of deals in the Suez Canal Economic Zone this year as the waterway reels from the Red Sea crisis.

Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon fighter aircraft of China's Ba Yi Aerobatics Team release smoke while performing during the first Egypt International Airshow at Alamein International Airport in northern Egypt on Sept. 4, 2024.

Analysis

Symbolism or strategy? Inside Egypt, China’s first joint air exercise

China’s first air drills in Egypt project power near critical trade routes, while Cairo maneuvers between Western military ties and Beijing’s growing defense diplomacy.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Omer Siddig

Meet Omer Siddig, Sudan's new foreign minister, former ambassador to China

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has appointed veteran diplomat Omer Siddig as Sudan's new minister of foreign affairs, filling the role following the dismissal of his predecessor, Ali Youssif, in mid-April.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

China JV wins $1.13 billion contract to relocate Saudi university facilities

The KSU deal marks the latest in a series of large contracts awarded by the Diriyah Company, which is overseeing the city project.

ALIREZA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

US sanctions China-Iran network aiding Tehran missile program

The Trump administration is stepping up sanctions on Iran as it conducts talks over its rapidly expanding nuclear program.

This picture shows a poster depicting King Abdulaziz bin Saud (L), the founder of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz (C), and Crown Prince Mohammed in Riyadh on April 16, 2023.

China’s Sinopec, Saudi Aramco to establish $4B energy venture: What to know

The joint venture will engage in port operations, crude oil transportation and other activities at the refinery and petrochemical complex in the Gulei Port Economic Development Zone in Zhangzhou, in China's Fujian province.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Al Salam Royal Palace, Jeddah, April 22, 2025.

Analysis

Can Modi leverage Saudi-China ties to reshape India’s global standing?

The Saudi "pivot to the east" requires a careful balancing act to avoid antagonizing the United States and damaging ties with China.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran, Russia, China envoys present joint front to Grossi on nuclear talks

As the US-Iran nuclear negotiations progress, Iran, Russia and China presented a united front in a meeting with the international nuclear watchdog chief in Vienna.