Analysis Beyond Boeing and Airbus: China’s C919 courts Gulf as aviation power dynamics shift Despite strong interest in Chinese jets, skepticism remains about China’s ability to match Western standards of technology and reliability. By Sabena Siddiqui In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran
Analysis Iran's rebuke of Russia, China exposes cracks in its 'look to East' strategy Pezeshkian comments revived a long-running debate over the fragility of Iran's geopolitical alignments and the asymmetry built into its relations with Moscow and Beijing. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Syria FM visits China as Beijing presses Damascus on Uyghur fighters, TIP Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani pledged that his country would not allow foreign fighters to “exploit its territory to carry out activities” that would harm Chinese security. Syria
Egypt's foreign reserves exceed $50B mark for first time: What to know The stronger reserve position signals that Egypt has largely emerged from its worst economic crunch in decades. Egypt
Analysis Saudi Arabia diversifies with new China naval drills, but military remains Western-centric By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
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
China's BYD, world's biggest EV maker, invests $1B in Turkish plant In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed that BYD is expected to begin production of vehicles in the new factory at the end of 2026 and that the facility will provide around 5,000 direct jobs. Turkey
Erdogan meets Xi, praises Turkey’s ties with China-led SCO bloc The Turkish president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening cooperation with the China-led bloc. Turkey
Israel, China seek new accommodation as fissures grow over Gaza war As Israel and China navigate shifting geopolitical realities and differences over Gaza, they will need to continually reassess the boundaries of their partnership balancing between confrontation and cooperation. Israel
Does China have favorite in Iran's presidential election? The question of whether Iran's next president will maintain the country's current anti-West, anti-US position while pursuing improved relations with Beijing is foremost in China's mind. Iran
US cautious on Iran’s Bahrain frozen funds claims, warns of sanctions The official Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Monday that officials from Iran's and Bahrain’s central banks held a meeting on Sunday to discuss the release of Iran's “foreign exchange resources in Bahrain.” Bahrain
Saudi defense chief in China in bid for help with Houthis, boost military ties China was a major participant in the World Defense Show in Riyadh earlier this year, and Saudi Arabia signed $4 billion in arms deals with the People’s Republic in 2022. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian talks in China postponed as Hamas, Fatah trade blame Hamas and Fatah were due to meet in Beijing this month, following talks in the Chinese capital in April aimed at unifying the rivals amid the war with Israel. Palestine
NVIDIA to deploy AI across Middle East amid increasing US-China tech tensions It was reported in August 2023 that Washington planned to curb exports of some AI microchips from NVIDIA, as well as from Advanced Micro Devices, beyond China to some unspecified Middle Eastern countries. Qatar
Analysis Joining BRICS comes with limitations for Turkey: No alternative to NATO Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s visits to China and Russia to attend the meeting of the BRICS groups of nations reignited never-ending debates about Turkey’s “turn away” from the West. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
With China-Iran ties on rollercoaster, Tehran can only grit its teeth, hang on Iran can get upset about China’s statement over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, or they can express their anger at China, move on and focus instead on extracting the many economic and political benefits that they derive from their relationship with Beijing. Iran
Erdogan and Biden may meet at NATO's US summit in July, ambassador says Amid widening differences over Gaza, Turkey postponed in April the Turkish president’s visit to the White House that was planned for May. Turkey
