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China-Middle East relations

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China-Middle East relations
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China-Middle East relations. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
A pro-government billboard in Tehran, Iran, depicts the closed Strait of Hormuz. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran peace optimism fuels Asian stock market gains

Asian markets surge on hopes for an end to US-Iran conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, even with many risks still hanging over markets.

Diplomacy

Opinion | How China-Gulf ties can turn energy vulnerability into sustainability

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China's military weapons

Will new Saudi-Pakistan defence pact give Chinese arms risk-free exposure?

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Iran

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi to visit China days ahead of Donald Trump

Foreign Minister Araghchi will arrive on Wednesday and hold talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Beijing has announced.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing in April 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Israel-Iran conflict

How lost Yiddish songs from a Ukrainian ghetto revive links to Shanghai’s past

The city, once home to thousands of Jewish refugees, will be one of the first places in East Asia where the songs are brought back to life.

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United States

How 2 Iranian brothers in China use ancient music as a bridge through wartime

Amid deep geopolitical uncertainty, the Beijing workshop of Majid and Massoud Shamaeezadah preserves and shares Persian culture.

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China energy security

Why China may benefit from the UAE’s Opec withdrawal

Beijing may have access to increased supply – though Strait of Hormuz disruption remains a serious constraint, analysts say.

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A model of an oil pump is seen in front of the Opec logo in this illustration taken January 9. Photo: Reuters
Iran

China’s calls to open Hormuz show the limits of its ties to Iran, experts say

While Beijing has long seen Tehran as a useful partner, the nation is not crucial to its Middle East strategy, analysts argue.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s foreign minister returns to Pakistan after Trump cancels envoys’ trip

Tehran pursues urgent regional coordination as US president orders his negotiators to stay home.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran digs in as US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Pakistan for more talks

Trapped in the Persian Gulf, ship crews run low on food, water – and mental health reserves.

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The Epaminondas ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | China can offer Gulf states more than just a security umbrella

As threat perceptions reset, Gulf states are likely to pursue a dual track of restrained regional policy and diversified partnerships.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Editorial | Saudi leader’s phone call to Xi Jinping shows shifting global power balance

For long-time US ally Riyadh to seek out China suggests a growing lack of conviction among countries that the US alone can shape the global order.

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | How China’s patient diplomacy can help secure peace in Iran

China’s diplomacy, backed by leverage and guarantees of assistance, could provide a template for contemporary conflicts where a single side cannot carry the day.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Shifting Saudi ties: what role could China take after Iran war is over?

Caught between Washington and Tehran, Riyadh may shift towards self-reliance and diversifying partnerships, observers note.

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11
Smoke rises above RIyadh amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Since the war began on February 28, Iranian missiles and drones have targeted key Saudi infrastructure. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s diplomacy succeeds even if it doesn’t bring Middle East peace

From Beijing’s perspective, diplomacy is remarkably effective in advancing China’s regional interests and differentiating it from the US.

On July 23, 2024, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts the signing of the Beijing Declaration among Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Photo: Pool via AP
Iran

Xi Jinping says Strait of Hormuz should be open in call with Saudi crown prince

Chinese leader says there must be an ‘immediate and comprehensive ceasefire’ and backs diplomatic solution to crisis.

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26
US, Israel war on Iran

Lesson for China? Iran’s low-cost 358 missile takes out million-dollar US assets

Price of successful ‘drone killer’ said to be one-tenth that of conventional air-defence munitions with comparable range and firepower specs.

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China manufacturing

Iran war energy shock sees Chinese firms recalibrate overseas expansion plans

Businesses are rethinking short-term strategies as they adapt to rising costs and slowing growth across major economies.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Hormuz blockade: shipping body slams transit fees as 20,000 seafarers stranded

A ‘retrograde’ toll proposal by Tehran risks similar charges in other vital waterways, warns global association for merchant shipowners and operators.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Xi’s meeting with Abu Dhabi crown prince highlights Gulf turn towards China

Analysts said the trip was a sign that the UAE was seeking ‘more reliable partners’ in the wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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24
China’s President Xi Jinping welcomes Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
China energy security

China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

Chinese vice-premier to visit major gas field in Turkmenistan as Beijing aims to shore up energy security and diversify away from volatile maritime routes.

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In this 2013 image, President Xi Jinping stands alongside a model of the purification plant in Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field during an opening ceremony. Photo: Getty Images
US, Israel war on Iran

China says open Hormuz key to global interests as Trump blockade looms

Beijing’s foreign ministry denies that China plans to provide weapons and military tech to Iran.

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US, Israel war on Iran

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The US plans to block ‘all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports’ starting on Monday.

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245
US, Israel war on Iran

Yuan tokens and oil-linked fees? China experts propose ‘innovative’ Hormuz tolls

Analysts warn Trump’s ‘joint venture’ plan with Iran could formalise grey zone, while Beijing balances roles as mediator, energy importer.

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Shipping vessels sit anchored in Muscat, Oman. The country, which shares control of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran, has no plans to impose fees on ships passing through the strait. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

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17
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates last month. Photo: AP
Japan

China’s Iran war strategy, Trump’s Hormuz ask: 7 global relations reads

From a China-Israel call on Iran to an unlikely nuclear deal, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in March 2026.

US, Israel war on Iran

China-Pakistan five-point plan to end Iran war

China and Pakistan launched an initiative to restore stability in the Middle East.

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