5.23.2024
Headed by Saudi Minister of Finance, Kingdom’s Delegation Concludes Saudi-Chinese Meetings - Not many details in terms of outcomes have been reported from the Saudi Finance Ministry delegation’s visit to China. The readout from the Saudi MOFA linked above is pretty boilerplate stuff, without the usual long list of MoUs we usually see after a visit like this. This piece from Global Times lists agenda items: the macroeconomic situation and policies, cooperation in finance, taxation, customs and investment, and cooperation under the framework of the G20, multilateral development agencies and international financial institutions.
It’s interesting that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman cancelled his trip to Tokyo and Beijing due to a health issue for King Salman. MBS won’t be at the China Arab States Cooperation Forum meeting, which is perhaps surprising, but as I wrote in the last newsletter, China and Saudi are due for a summit this year so it might be that MBS has an upcoming trip planned.
UAE President to commence state visit to Republic of Korea on 28 May - I don’t think it’s officially been announced yet, but Mohammed Bin Zayed will almost certainly be at the CASCF if they’ve announced a state visit to Seoul just before the forum.
China, Qatar agree to promote military cooperation - Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah are in Beijing in advance of the China-GCC forum.
Bahrain’s king to visit Russia and China - We rarely see stories about Bahrain and China - the small market size, modest trade, and the presence of the Fifth Fleet means there’s not much reason for China to be active in Bahrain. The king’s trip to Beijing will be his first trip to China since 2013, I believe.
Media seminar on BRI cooperation held in Kuwait - There’s almost never real movement in the China-Kuwait relationship either. Between 2017-2019 there was a lot of hype that Kuwait would engage with BRI through it’s Silk City project, but there hasn’t been much talk since. I suspect Kuwait’s defense cooperation agreement with the US has limited China’s opportunities to make a serious mark in Kuwait. Standard stuff in this story: “At the seminar, attendants made speeches and exchanges on topics such as ‘The role of media in the joint promotion for the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and Kuwait's 2035 National Vision,’ and ‘How the Chinese and Kuwaiti media jointly respond to common challenges in the world today.’”
China Pledges Strong Ties With Iran After Raisi's Death - What you’d expect. There’s not a lot to say about how the death of Iran’s president and FM will affect China’s relationship with Tehran. Beijing will continue to work with whoever is running Iran, like it has since the revolution. It’s business, not personal.
Relations between China and Tunisia have a ‘promising future’, says Chinese ambassador - This isn’t much of a story but discusses an event at the Chinese embassy in Tunis marking 60 years of diplomatic relations. There’s very little in China-Tunisia news usually, but with the diplomatic anniversary round number there’s usually some project roll-out, so keep an eye out for stories out of Tunisia this year, I guess, but keep expectations low - very little in economic terms in the bilateral so it’s not an especially consequential relationship.
Too Good to Be True? Chinese App Temu Sparks Fierce Debate in Morocco - An interesting story about the spread of online shopping app Temu: “Temu’s ability to offer unbeatable deals could reshape Morocco’s e-commerce landscape and consumer habits for years to come, for better or worse. While some celebrate the app for making online shopping more accessible, critics worry its rise may come at the expense of personal privacy and local businesses. As one social media user put it, ‘Moroccans now find themselves torn between the temptations of very low prices and their personal data, which seems to have entered digital labyrinths with no way out.’”
Turkey, China discuss mining, nuclear, renewable energy during minister's visit - agreed to cooperate on mining in rare earths and critical minerals.
Chinese carmakers eye Turkey as production hub to bypass potential EU tariffs - One to watch: “Bloomberg reported last week following an interview with Fatih Kacir, the country’s Minister of Industry and Technology, that BYD and Chery are in high-level discussions with Turkey to invest in manufacturing facilities there and improve their sales in Europe. Turkey wants to conclude the discussions as soon as possible, Kacir said in the interview. The country is also talking with SAIC, which owns MG and Great Wall Motor, he added.”
Meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council - Not much from the SCO Foreign Minister’s Council Meeting that was held on May 20-21 in Astana. Discussions included preparations for the SCO Summit coming up in early July, also in Astana: “The participants approved a list of subjects and documents to be submitted to the leaders for consideration, including the draft Astana Declaration by the leaders of the SCO member states, SCO Initiatives on World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony, a draft roadmap for developing interaction with SCO dialogue partners, and a number of other documents.” Also preparations underway for Belarus to become the next full member. Iran was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari.