China in the Mideast

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Chinese Ambassador to Damascus Shi Hongwei on Feb. 22, 2025.

Analysis

As China opens to Sharaa, Uyghurs and reconstruction shadow future ties with Syria

China’s approach to Syria will likely hinge on what the new government does about the Uyghurs in its ranks.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

China's President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Egypt, China ink $1.65B deal for steel factories in Suez: What we know

The deal was signed by Egypt’s General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Industrial Development Authority with Xin Feng Egypt Steel and its parent company, Xin Feng China as Cairo-Beijing ties grow closer.

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

US slaps sanctions on Iran's oil tankers, targets China 'teapot' refinery

Targets of the sanctions include a refinery allegedly purchasing Iranian oil from a vessel linked to Yemen's Houthi militant group.

A picture shows a military drone on display at an exhibition held by Yemen's Huthi group in the capital Sanaa on Nov. 19, 2024.

Houthis using Chinese-made hydrogen fuel cells to build stealthier drones: Report

A new report reveals that the Houthis are incorporating Chinese-made hydrogen fuel cells into their drones, potentially improving their range and reducing detection by air defenses.

Latest News

As Iran set to receive Trump's letter, China to host talks on nuclear program

TOPSHOT - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on October 5, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran flaunts joint Russia-China naval exercise as defiance of Trump, new order: What to know

This handout photo, made available by the Iranian Army office on March 11, 2025, shows the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer Baotou during joint military drills between Iran, Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran, China, Russia hold joint naval drill despite Trump threats: What we know

Iranian soldiers take part in the National Persian Gulf Day in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 30, 2019.

Analysis

Why Iran oil sanctions on China may not prove as effective as Trump hopes

AFP via Getty Images

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Visitors check weapons during the International Defence Exhibition Idex 2025, on February 17, 2025, in Abu Dhai. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

China's defense companies out in full force at UAE's IDEX: What to know

China sent 59 defense and technology companies to the International Defense Exhibition and Conference and the Naval Defense and Maritime Security Exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week.

United Arab Emirates

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Amid DeepSeek competition, Altman visits UAE seeking OpenAI investment

Gulf investors are betting big on AI, with sovereign wealth funds in the UAE and Saudi Arabia making the booming tech sector a core component of their portfolios.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

China’s DeepSeek triumph sparks billion-dollar AI dilemmas for Gulf investors

Middle Eastern countries could benefit from new cost-effective AI systems such as those created by DeepSeek in lieu of US AI companies.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province on May 9, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How China could complicate Trump's Middle East calculus

From Iran to Yemen, China could derail Trump’s efforts to rein Tehran, punish the Houthis and promote American manufacturing.

Joyce Karam

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on during a meeting between the top diplomats of Iraq, Syria and Iran at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, in Baghdad, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran’s foreign minister lands in China amid regional and domestic turmoil

The Iranian foreign minister arrived in China on Friday as Iran seeks stability after the weakening of its proxy network, particularly Hezbollah, the fall of Syria’s Assad and its own domestic crises.

China's President Xi Jinping (R) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands ahead of their talks at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Etienne Oliveau (Photo credit should read ETIENNE OLIVEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why China’s new ambassador to Israel marks shift in Middle East focus

China’s appointment of Xiao Junzheng as ambassador signals a strategic shift aimed to improve ties with Israel. Xiao’s Middle East expertise highlights Beijing’s evolving approach amid regional and bilateral tensions.

Yun Sun

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

A man rides his scooter past a destroyed mosque and apartment buildings in Harasta, near the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Dec. 19, 2024.

Analysis

China seeks to protect Syria interests, work with HTS on Uyghur 'threats'

With a new administration in Damascus, China is revaluating its relationship with Syria and increasingly focused on rise of Islamists' threats.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 9: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony November 9, 2017 in Beijing, China. Trump is on a 10-day trip to Asia. (Photo by Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

How will Trump's return affect US-Middle East-China strategic triangle?

As Trump threatens tariffs and harsher policies on Beijing, China could seek to deepen its commercial ties in the Middle East.

Dale Aluf

In Amsterdam, reporting on China in the Middle East

Visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) and his wife, Asma, (C) visit the Great Wall near Beijing, on June 22, 2004, during the Middle East leader's first full day in the Chinese capital.

Analysis

In Syria, China not beholden to Assad but alarmed over Uyghur links to HTS

While Assad's regional policies were in semblance with China’s when it came to supporting the Palestinians, defying US policy and shoring up ties with Iran, it was Bashar’s cronyism, his mishandling of the war and the economy that made him less of a strategic asset for Beijing.

Joyce Karam

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

Senior Iranian and Chinese officials held talks in Tehran on expanding bilateral ties in various areas, particularly in the economic field.

Senior China delegation in Iran to discuss 'strategic partnership,' economic ties

Iran hosted a Chinese delegation on Tuesday and Wednesday in a step to solidify a 2021 strategic partnership agreement, but can the two countries’ partnership weather the upcoming Donald Trump presidency?

A man watches stock movements on a display at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in the Gulf emirate on April 12, 2022.

China embraces debt listings to tap into Gulf’s pool of wealth

As UAE stock markets hit $1 trillion in market capitalization for the first time last week, an increasing number of Chinese entities are choosing to list some of their debt on Gulf capital markets.

Sebastian Castelier

By Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: President Donald Trump (R) holds up a chart of military hardware sales as he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia to pursue two-track approach for Trump presidency

Riyadh is likely to compartmentalize business dealings with incoming President Donald Trump separately from its foreign policy engagements, where there is likely to be disagreement.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics