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
US sanctions UAE, Turkey, China firms for allegedly aiding Russia in Ukraine The move targets the development of Russia’s defense and technology sectors and aims to weaken it in its war against Ukraine. United Arab Emirates
Saudi's GCC-ASEAN summit: Toward an Asia minus China collective strategy The GCC and ASEAN nations find themselves sharing more strategic commonalities amid the current era of deglobalization, geopolitical instability and economic uncertainties. Legacy: Gulf
Analysis China's venture capital firms making inroads in Saudi Arabia, UAE Chinese venture capital investors have been pricing deals at more competitive rates and taking advantage of a widening vacuum left by Western rivals in the region. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
China's Huawei to invest $430M in North African cloud center, developer training The Chinese tech firm has been increasing its footprint in the Middle East and North Africa. North Africa
In China, Syria's Assad gets political fanfare, but no funding commitments Since Syria joined China's Belt and Road Initiative in January 2022, there have been no projects to show for it in the war-torn country. Syria
China builds reach by backing Middle East water projects In its latest financial deal, China has agreed to provide a new credit facility to expand Saudi Arabia's water generation and power portfolio. Legacy: Gulf
China’s Bomesc to build $220M Qatar offshore oil, gas facility for Italy’s Saipem The Tianjin-based engineering, procurement and construction company will build the compression facility for an oil and gas field off the coast of northern Qatar for industrial machine manufacturer Servizi Energia Italia. Qatar
Red carpet, honor guard and flowers: Syria’s Assad receives lavish welcome in China Assad will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first visit to China since 2004, potentially turning a page in Syria-China relations as Damascus seeks reconstruction help. Syria
China development financier AIIB opens first global office in UAE Bank officials expect that the new Abu Dhabi location will help extend their reach to finance sustainable development projects. United Arab Emirates
Al-Monitor/Semafor summit: UAE seeks ‘ironclad’ defense agreement from the US, Anwar Gargash says UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said growing ties with countries like China will not replace its reliance on the United States for security. Legacy: Gulf
