Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

China-Middle East relations

Related Topics:
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

Bai Chongen on China’s new economic paradigm and closing the US tech gap

videocam
8
Illustration: Henry Wong

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

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Bai Chongen on China’s new economic paradigm and closing the US tech gap

videocam
8
Illustration: Henry Wong

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

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Songwriter and musician Psoy Korolenko and the University of Toronto’s Anna Shternshis led the project to bring the songs to life. Photo: Daniel Rosenberg
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.

videocam
United States

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

videocam
China energy security

Why China may benefit from the UAE’s Opec withdrawal

videocam
6
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.

videocam
21
China’s representative Fu Cong at the UN headquarters in New York on April 7. China’s diplomatic statements are seen to indicate the delicate balance it is striking between rhetorical solidarity with Iran and its regional economic interests. Photo: Xinhua
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.

31
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.

videocam
6
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

20
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
44
Shipping data shows a Hong Kong-flagged ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
24
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

5
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.

videocam
13
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
10
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.

videocam
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.

Banking & finance

Opinion | Dubai’s loss could be Hong Kong’s gain, but only if city is ready

The case for Hong Kong as a recipient of displaced Gulf wealth is sound but the city must ensure it has the capacity to absorb new capital and talent.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Middle East

Chinese container ships pass through Strait of Hormuz at second attempt, data shows

The two ships, which had turned back on Friday, are the first non-Iranian container ships to leave the Gulf since the war began.

videocam
An illustration of a map showing the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Reuters
China trade

Will Iran’s strikes on Gulf smelters strengthen China’s aluminium dominance?

Analysts say disruption at plants could shift more output to China, which already produces more than half of global supply.

videocam
5
China food security

China rushes to stabilise fertiliser market as Iran war chokes off imports

China is pushing firms to release their fertiliser reserves in time for the vital spring planting season, as supplies of key inputs tighten.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement