Turkiye applies for BRICS membership, UAE think tanks in China, Politburo visit to the UAE, Chinese AI in Saudi, Other China-UAE/China-Algeria developments
potential arms sale to Algeria, Chinese money to Egypt
Turkey Bids to Join BRICS in Push to Build Alliances Beyond West - Bloomberg. So just yesterday I led with a BRICS story by starting with my skepticism of the acronym-as-organization, and here I am today leading with another one. No surprise, Turkiye wants in. This is following the reports that Turkiye also wants to join the Shanghai Cooperation Council, which I wrote about in July. Is this meaningful? Does Ankara legitimately want to move away from the Western-oriented position it’s had for decades? Or is it posturing? I need to learn more about Turkish foreign policy, among many, many other things. My very inexpert opinion is that this seems like membership collecting, and an AKP preference that may not be consistent with other parties in Turkiye. If anyone has some good reading recommendations to get me up to speed on this, always appreciated. From the article:
“Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously,” Erdogan said in Istanbul over the weekend. “Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it.”…
“BRICS is an organization that increases the diversity of approaches, identities and politics in the global economic system,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after attending a BRICS foreign ministers meeting in June.
Still, Turkey is making parallel efforts to rejuvenate membership talks with the EU. That remains “a strategic target,” Fidan said last week after attending informal talks with EU counterparts for the first time in five years.
UAE Embassy in Beijing Hosts the First UAE-China Think Tank Forum with Over 100 Experts and Thought Leaders Participating - UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is super interesting to me. The Gulf think tank ecosystem has been growing lately, and there’s been a corresponding growth in ties with Chinese counterparts. One thing I see a lot of these days is delegations from both sides making a lot of visits back and forth, developing joint projects and building up organizational capacity to cooperate. This is new. As with many other things I’ve written about here over the past few months (language study, cultural engagement, etc), it’s still early days and there’s a lot of room to grow, but I absolutely think this is something worth tracking. I’ve repeatedly noted how there is much less local expertise on China than you would expect, given all the stories of growing ties. Cooperation between these think tanks is one way to build up this capacity.
The first UAE-China Think Tank Forum, hosted by the UAE Embassy, has been held in the Chinese capital, Beijing, from August 29 to 30, 2024.
The forum, held under the theme "Together to build a shared, sustainable and ambitious future," witnessed the participation of more than 100 academic, intellectual, and scientific figures from universities, ministries, governmental departments, research institutions, the private sector, and national and international financial institutions from both countries.
UAE participates as Guest of Honor at World Energy Battery Conference in Yibin, China - Emirates News Agency. More China-UAE. I’ve noted here before that 2024 marks 40 years of diplomatic relations, so there are a lot of events like this where the bilateral gets a boost. After the Emirates hosted COP28, anything related to renewables gets a place of privilege on the agenda, and renewable energy cooperation was a focus of China’s 2014 1+2+3 cooperation framework for engaging with Arab countries. I’m in the process of finishing a book about this - lots of stuff to cover in renewable energy.
The United Arab Emirates is participating as a Guest of Honor in the Global Energy Batteries Conference, which will be held in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, China, on September 1st and 2nd, 2024.
The Sichuan Provincial Government of China is hosting the conference under the theme "New Quality Energy for a Green Future," featuring 11 major events, such as a roundtable discussion on the development of international energy battery companies, exhibitions showcasing achievements, environmental exploration and experience activities, and six high-level forums addressing various topics, including the integration of the energy battery industry and finance in China, and more.
The UAE is participating as this year's Guest of Honor with a national pavilion that features prominent government entities and leading Emirati companies such as the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Masdar, UAE University, New York University - Abu Dhabi, the KEZAD Group, and Titan Lithium. These entities will showcase their achievements in renewable energy, technology, innovation, and industry.
China’s CPEC Banks USD480 Million Oil Pipeline Construction Project in UAE - Yicai Global. This is an interesting contract. Back in 2008 CPEC won a contract to build a pipeline from Habshan to Fujairah, which for those of you who aren’t up on your UAE geography, moves oil to the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the Hormuz Strait chokepoint. It became operational in 2012. 12 years later, another contract for another pipeline:
China Petroleum Engineering Corporation, the construction engineering arm of Chinese oil and gas giant China National Petroleum Corporation, won a USD480 million contract for part of an oil pipeline construction project in the United Arab Emirates, its fourth major contract in the country over the past year.
CPEC’s unit China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation will build the second section from Habshan to Sweihan and the third section from Sweihan to Fujairah of the West-East onshore pipeline project for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Onshore in 27 months, the Beijing-based parent firm announced yesterday.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed hails UAE-China ties in meeting with Chinese official - ARN News. Politburo member and Tianjin Party Secretary Chen Min’er is in the Emirates, meeting with PM and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and in Abu Dhabi with VP Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed. The readout from Dubai focused mostly on trade, in Abu Dhabi “"The meeting discussed avenues of cooperation and joint work across all sectors, particularly in trade, investment, and development, to achieve the aspirations of both countries for sustainable development and prosperity.”
China's tech firm Huawei introduces AI initiatives in Saudi Arabia - Xinhua.
China's technology giant Huawei on Monday announced several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives to facilitate Saudi Arabia's digital transformation and support its government program Saudi Vision 2030.
Under the initiatives, the company will present advanced AI capabilities to the country, including technologies for providing ubiquitous computing, reduced costs, more secure data, and a better service experience from the edge cloud, so as to contribute to Saudi Arabia's economic diversification efforts, the company said at the Huawei Cloud Summit Saudi Arabia 2024 held Monday in Riyadh.
Chinese contractor secures $210M contract to revamp Algeria’s gas field - News.AZ. A busy week for CPEC - in addition to the Emirati pipeline above, they got a big contract in Algeria. Scheduled for completion in 2027:
China Petroleum Engineering Corporation, the construction engineering arm of Chinese oil and gas giant China National Petroleum Corporation, won a USD480 million contract for part of an oil pipeline construction project in the United Arab Emirates, its fourth major contract in the country over the past year.
CPEC’s unit China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation will build the second section from Habshan to Sweihan and the third section from Sweihan to Fujairah of the West-East onshore pipeline project for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Onshore in 27 months, the Beijing-based parent firm announced yesterday.
Algeria trials Chinese VT-4 main battle tank ahead of possible procurement - Military Africa. Following the induction of Chinese anti-ship missiles last month, the Algerian military is looking at Chinese tanks:
Algeria has conducted test assessments of the Chinese VT-4 main battle tank, manufactured by Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group (FIRMACO). This trial, reported during FIRMACO’s 2023 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, marks a potential step towards the procurement of the VT-4 by the Algerian military.
The VT-4 tank demonstrated exceptional performance during the trials in Algeria. It achieved a 100% hit rate in artillery tests and successfully covered 500 kilometers in continuous driving and firing under various conditions. This impressive performance was positively noted by the Algerian side, leading to recognition of the quality breakthrough team by the Ordnance Industry Group, which shared their experience across the organization…
Algeria’s evaluation of the VT-4 aligns with its broader strategy of incorporating various Chinese military assets into its defense arsenal. The country already utilizes a range of Chinese-made equipment, including Type 90B armored personnel carriers, SR-5 and WM-80 multiple rocket launchers, PLZ-45 self-propelled howitzers, CX-1 anti-ship missiles, HQ-7 short-range air defense systems, SY-400 ballistic missiles, and FD-2000 long-range air defense missiles.
Additionally, Algeria operates Chinese CH-4 and WJ-700 Falcon High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones. On August 16, 2024, Algeria announced the acquisition of YJ-12B anti-ship missiles from China for coastal defense.
The successful trial of the VT-4 main battle tank in Algeria highlights the growing military cooperation between Algeria and China, potentially paving the way for further procurement and integration of advanced Chinese military technology into Algeria’s defence forces.
A lot of China-Algeria stories in the news lately. I keep saying this, but China-North Africa is really due a deeper look.
China grants funds to Egypt for joint development projects - Arab Finance. Speaking of, the last story to come under the wire today, Chinese funds to Egypt. Not clear if it’s a loan, a gift, what it is, but:
China has granted Egypt a sum of CNY 100 million to support joint development projects, reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two nations, as per a statement from the Egyptian side.
This announcement was made by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, during a meeting with Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Beijing.