China's air force and Egypt, a Bahraini parliamentary delegation to Beijing, Oman-China forum

Chinese air force planes depart for air show in Egypt - Xinhua.

Eight Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force planes on Monday departed from an airport in northwest China for an air show in Egypt, scheduled from Sept. 3 to 5.

The flight formation includes one Y-20, China's domestically developed large transport aircraft, and seven J-10 stealth fighter jets from the Bayi Aerobatic Team, according to the air force.

I’m sharing this one because there has been a lot of speculation lately about Egypt buying the J-10 and J-31 from China. Over the past decade Egypt has gotten whiplash from on-again/off-again arms sales from the US. Transfers stopped in 2013 after the Morsi government was overthrown, then resumed in 2015. In 2018 Trump committed to selling Egypt 20 F-35 fighter jets; that never materialized. With all the momentum on the China-Egypt bilateral relationship, it’s not surprising that Chinese fighter jets are rumored to be an option for an Egyptian air force that needs to modernize. A deep dive on Egypt-China is due, I think. Something I’ll be working on soon-ish.

A Chinese delegation visits Al-Zawiya to discuss building seaport for the city -Libya Observer. During the CASCF in May I noted that there were a couple of interesting meeting for the Libyan delegation and mused that there seemed to be signals for more cooperation from China on the way. I definitely need to get up to speed on Libya. In the meantime:

Zawiya Municipal Council has received a Chinese delegation that includes a group of companies specialized in the field of establishing seaports to discuss the establishment of the Zawiya Seaport.

The Council welcomed the delegation and stressed its keen interest to complete this giant project because of its great importance from an economic standpoint, according to the municipality’s statement on its Facebook page.

Council member Ezzedine Sharata made a presentation on the concept of the port and its stages. The Chinese delegation also made a presentation about its capabilities and the projects previously implemented by its companies and expressed its interest in the project. Afterwards, members of the municipal council accompanied the Chinese delegation on a tour of the city.

A Delegation from the Bahraini Parliament Visits China and Meets with the Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress - The Daily Tribune. There’s not much in the way of details here and it seems like a pretty boilerplate trip. I’m only sharing because it comes on the heels of the China-Bahrain comprehensive strategic partnership that was announced at CASCF in May and it indicates that they are in the process of putting some meat on the bones. It was very, very rare to see an article about official delegation visits in this bilateral. It’s noteworthy that Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Rumaihi was part of the delegation; he’s Chairman of Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Committee. Watch this space.

Oman-China Forum set to boost trade, investment ties - Muscat Daily. Just another one of those stories of little consequent that demonstrates how routine China’s presence is becoming in the region.

Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, in collaboration with Arabian Research Bureau and the COMEX Global Technology Show, will host Oman-China Forum at Grand Millennium Muscat on Monday. This event aims to strengthen trade and investment relations between Oman and China.

The forum will bring together Omani investors and their Chinese counterparts, including representatives from 15 companies and 30 officials and investors from the Longhua District of Shenzhen City. The event is part of ongoing efforts to support digital transformation and boost the national economy.

The forum follows the success of the 33rd edition of COMEX Global Technology Show, which showcased efforts to promote digital transformation in Oman. The exhibition also featured the COMEX Business Roadshow, a new initiative to introduce investors and entrepreneurs to opportunities in Oman’s technology sector. As a result, several Chinese companies have been encouraged to visit Oman from August 25 to 28 to explore partnerships and investment opportunities.

As part of a public-private partnership, the forum aims to introduce Chinese investors to national initiatives that attract foreign direct investment. The delegation’s agenda during the visit will ensure productive discussions and foster stronger economic ties between Oman and China.