Robert Besser
15 Jan 2022, 13:57 GMT+10
BEIJING, China: This week, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain are visiting China for meetings with officials.
China, the world's second largest economy, is a leading consumer of oil and source of foreign investments in the Middle East.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the visits were expected to "deepen relations between the two sides," but gave no details of their agendas.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani are scheduled to take part in meeting Chinese officials.
The meetings will also involve Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who will be in China at the end of the week, ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in Tehran.
However, it is uncertain if Amirabdollahian will join the Arab ministers.
China and the U.S. are competing for influence in the Middle East, where Chinese companies have found markets for goods and services, ranging from building highways to selling military drones.
China's economy is heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, and Beijing has maintained close ties with Iran, despite its nuclear ambitions and disputes with other Gulf nations.
At a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China and the Gulf nations have "provided each other with firm support on issues concerning their core interests, and have promoted practical cooperation in various fields with fruitful results.
Get a daily dose of India Gazette news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to India Gazette.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - Stocks were decidedly mixed in the U.S. on Tuesday as investors struggled to make a ...
DELHI, India: Dubbed the country's Warren Buffett, India's best-known stock investor and self-made billionaire, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, died on August 14 ...
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazil's central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto has said that he believes credit cards will cease to ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in China were flat to lower on Tuesday as investors weighed up the disappointing economic ...
LONDON, England: Reports from the UK's opposition Labour Party said its leader, KeirStarmer, will call for a freeze on energy ...
MIAMI, Florida: Carnival cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise, Princess Cruises and Cunard, have made plans to drop mandatory COVID-19 testing ...
DELHI, India: Dubbed the country's Warren Buffett, India's best-known stock investor and self-made billionaire, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, died on August 14 ...
NEW DELHI, India: A government order released to reporters this week said New Delhi will continue to enforce a mask ...
GAWADAR, Pakistan - According to the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations, the Pakistan Navy rescued nine crew members from an ...
Srinagar, India - Assailants on Tuesday killed a local Hindu man and injured his brother in a shooting that police ...
New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): Days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) parted ways with the ...
New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) for the ...