https://www.scmp.com/rss/518738/feed Emil Avdaliani is a professor of international relations at European University in Tbilisi, Georgia, and a scholar of silk roads. He has published a number of books including his latest "China, Russia and the New Eurasian Order". en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Emil Avdaliani Emil Avdaliani The war in Iran is not just a regional crisis. It is reshaping global energy flows, disrupting shipping routes and forcing governments to reassess the vulnerability of their supply chains. For China, the conflict has exposed an increasingly urgent problem: the risks of heavy reliance on maritime energy imports from the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil and gas under normal conditions. Any sustained disruption –... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349234/why-china-looking-central-asia-middle-east-grows-riskier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349234/why-china-looking-central-asia-middle-east-grows-riskier?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Emil Avdaliani Emil Avdaliani After years of escalating US-China trade and technology confrontation, the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan suggests that both sides may be seeking a pause and a partial reset. The easing of tariffs and commitments to resume trade mark a pragmatic shift after a period of intensifying tariffs and export restrictions. If trade tensions continue to cool, the ripple effects could extend beyond Washington and Beijing. Supply chains, logistics... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3331439/us-china-thaw-could-boost-eurasian-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3331439/us-china-thaw-could-boost-eurasian-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Emil Avdaliani Emil Avdaliani Over the past year, the US has moved to expand cooperation with Central Asian countries on critical minerals. This is being done in an effort to limit China’s chokehold on the resources that are critical to a range of industries where Beijing and Washington are locked in competition. Yet, the United States is lagging behind China in Central Asia. Beijing has long developed an efficient strategy to position itself as a dominant actor in the region’s critical minerals sector. Uzbekistan is a key... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325069/race-central-asias-rare-earths-china-leaving-us-dust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325069/race-central-asias-rare-earths-china-leaving-us-dust?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Emil Avdaliani Emil Avdaliani While China’s economic ties with Central Asia are mostly visible in terms of investments and commercial deals, Beijing is also making inroads into the region’s arms market as part of its greater overall security engagement there. For much of the post-Soviet period, Russia held a near-monopoly over arms sales to Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. However, the war in Ukraine has pulled in Russia’s military resources and sapped its arms export... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3308328/how-central-asia-embracing-chinese-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3308328/how-central-asia-embracing-chinese-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:30:08 +0000 America’s recent push to end the war in Ukraine has involved talk of significant concessions to Russia and sidelined both Kyiv and the European Union. For China, the pace of the US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia might have been equally surprising. Just weeks ago, China was comfortably positioned to play an important role in US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts, with Washington seemingly open to working with Beijing to leverage China’s economic influence over Russia. This aligned with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3299707/trump-cant-break-russias-alliance-china-he-can-shake-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3299707/trump-cant-break-russias-alliance-china-he-can-shake-it?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:30:08 +0000 America’s recent push to end the war in Ukraine has involved talk of significant concessions to Russia and sidelined both Kyiv and the European Union. For China, the pace of the US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia might have been equally surprising. Just weeks ago, China was comfortably positioned to play an important role in US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts, with Washington seemingly open to working with Beijing to leverage China’s economic influence over Russia. This aligned with... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299885/trump-cant-break-russias-alliance-china-he-can-shake-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299885/trump-cant-break-russias-alliance-china-he-can-shake-it?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Feb 2025 08:25:11 +0000 With Donald Trump returning to the White House, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will confront a difficult reality given its increasingly close ties with China. Trump is expected to be even more hawkish towards Beijing and demand that US partners limit relations with China. This will test the strength of Washington’s relationship with GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Since Trump last left office, the council has grown closer to China, which has increased... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3287695/why-gulf-countries-dont-want-choose-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3287695/why-gulf-countries-dont-want-choose-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:30:09 +0000 Premier Li Qiang began his tour of the Gulf region last week with a visit to Saudi Arabia, followed by a trip to the United Arab Emirates. His trip to Riyadh, in particular, was aimed at expanding bilateral trade ties and exploring additional avenues for cooperation within the High-Level Chinese-Saudi Joint Committee. China’s cooperation with member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council is undeniably growing, with arguably more concrete outcomes than its engagement with Iran. It signals a shift... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3278814/chinas-growing-influence-middle-east-carries-its-own-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3278814/chinas-growing-influence-middle-east-carries-its-own-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:30:09 +0000 Bilateral relations between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are changing in scope, with recent developments reflecting a shifting balance of power, in which the United States is no longer seen by Arab Gulf countries as a long-term security shield. Earlier this month, China released a joint statement with the UAE, expressing support for a peaceful resolution of a dispute regarding three islands – Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lessen Tunb – that have been under Iranian control since 1971,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266924/how-uae-leveraging-ties-china-its-own-security-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266924/how-uae-leveraging-ties-china-its-own-security-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:30:09 +0000 China’s investments in Central Asia have traditionally been characterised by inflow of cash into large projects focused on resource extraction and physical infrastructure such as pipelines, roads or attempts to establish railway connectivity. Lately, however, China is pushing to focus more on green energy and related investments. Though the region is generally seen as rich in green energy resources, Beijing is focusing on Kazakhstan and especially Uzbekistan. Despite being rich in traditional... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3261892/how-chinas-greener-investments-are-driving-central-asia-energy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3261892/how-chinas-greener-investments-are-driving-central-asia-energy-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2024 21:30:21 +0000