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China’s meetings with Middle East ministers sets the scene for Beijing to step up in region
- This week, China will host representatives from Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iran and Turkey for talks
- While China is the region’s biggest trading partner and energy buyer, relations have gone beyond economic ties
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China is positioning itself as a prominent player in the Middle East with a string of meetings promising an upgrade in ties, the sealing of a free-trade agreement and deeper strategic cooperation in a region where US dominance is showing signs of retreat.
The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and foreign ministers from four of its member countries – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain – are visiting the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province this week until Friday.
In addition, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was expected to visit China on Wednesday and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was expected on Friday.
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After Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met GCC secretary general Nayef Falah al-Hajraf on Tuesday evening, China’s foreign ministry said: “Both sides agreed that the conditions for China and the GCC to establish a strategic partnership are ripe, and they will accelerate this process.”
In a joint declaration from the meeting, the two sides agreed to wrap up negotiations on a China-GCC free trade agreement as soon as possible and to speed up the signing of an action plan for strategic dialogue in the next three years.
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