China in the Mideast

Xi MBS

Analysis

Saudi Arabia seeks to pressure China over Houthi arms without risking ties

Saudi Arabia has signaled its displeasure with China and is pursuing quiet diplomatic pressure as it tries to balance mounting security concerns against its economic and strategic interests with Beijing.

Joyce Karam

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 15, 2026.

Israeli president meets FM Wang Yi as reports link China to Iran’s military buildup

Israeli President Isaac Herzog held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussed topics ranging from economic and cultural cooperation to regional security.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, on Sept. 1, 2026.

Pezeshkian to meet Putin as Iran looks to Russia for support: What to know

Russia has reportedly provided Iran with military materiel, intelligence and diplomatic backing during the war.

China's President Xi Jinping (center L) walks along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer (R) upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport on September 1, 2026. President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on September 1, making a rare trip to the Middle East as both countries face the threat of US sanctions over financial links to Iran. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

For Beijing, the renewed Egypt-Ethiopia standoff is a zero-sum bind that threatens vital strategic interests on both sides of the Nile.

Joyce Karam

Latest News

Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war

Kyrgyz servicemen take part in the "Eurasia-Antiterror 2023" joint military drills

Analysis

Why Trump-Xi summit did not move the China needle away from Iran

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

Analysis

As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left?

A woman crosses a street near a giant billboard erected on the facade of a building depicting a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps placing his foot on a US sea drone, reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in Vanak Square in Tehran, on Sept. 24, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Despite fanfare, Xi shows Trump no sign of breaking with Iran

OINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks on a red carpet after greeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during an arrival ceremony on September 23, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. President Trump is hosting President Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC where the leaders are expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and furthering “strategic stability” between their countries. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (back-L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (back-R) attend a signing ceremony ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 13, 2017.

China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea.

In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)on June 28, 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea.

US aircraft carrier returns to Middle East as Suez Canal opens

The USS Eisenhower arrives in the Gulf region as the Biden administration kicks off indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (C), sign an agreement in the capital Tehran, on March 27, 2021.

Zarif throws full weight behind contentious Iran-China deal

Iran’s foreign minister went to lengths to reject criticism and justify a long-term deal with China, which many Iranians fear is a package of concessions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (R), in the capital Tehran, on March 27, 2021. - Iran and China signed what state television called a "25-year strategic cooperation pact" on today as the US rivals move closer together. The agreement, which has been kept almost entirely under wraps, was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Wang Yi, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Takeaway: China moves to elevate its role in Middle East, but faces odds

Also: Bibi ignored on Iran; Nile dam mediation; the UAE and Somaliland; Russia and Saudi Arabia; Turkey and Uighurs; the kingdom’s night lights; and more!

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

A Palestinian worker unloads a shipment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in the West Bank city of Nablus, on March 29, 2021.

Palestinian Authority receives more vaccine doses from China

The Palestinian territories as a whole have received more than 100,000 coronavirus vaccine doses from a variety of sources so far.

Chinese Ambassador Guo Wei (L) and Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila bump elbows during the unloading of a shipment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 29, 2021.

Palestinians welcome Chinese peace initiative

China, which has a limited role in Middle East peace-making and security, has proposed a five-point initiative to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, including a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Beijing.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, are pictured during the signing of an agreement in the capital, Tehran, on March 27, 2021. Iran and China signed what state television called a "25-year strategic cooperation pact," as the US rivals move closer together.

Can China balance ties with Iran and the GCC?

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi must take care not to "underestimate the differences" between Iran and the GCC countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, addresses supporters at the party campaign headquarters in Jerusalem early on March 24, 2021, after the end of voting in the fourth national election in two years.

With Netanyahu vulnerable, Israel again ignored by Washington on Iran

Knowing he is politically vulnerable, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is silent on Washington’s intention to return to the nuclear deal with Tehran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (2nd, L) speaks during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd, R) on June 15, 2018, in Beijing, China. (Photo by Greg Baker-Pool/Getty Images)

Turkey, China assert rapprochement despite Uyghur protests, vaccine delay

The Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Turkey reflects the desire of both sides to further develop bilateral ties despite hitches stemming primarily from the widespread public support Uyghurs enjoy in Turkey.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, pose for a picture after signing an agreement in the capital, Tehran, on March 27, 2021. Iran and China signed what state television called a "25-year strategic cooperation pact" today as the US rivals move closer together. The agreement, which has been kept almost entirely under wraps, was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Wang Yi, an AFP correspondent reported.

Iran, China sign long-term economic deal

The deal between Iran and China is more of a “road map” than a specific deal.

A protester from the Uyghur community living in Turkey attends a protest against the visit of China's Foreign Minister to Turkey, in Istanbul on March 25, 2021. - Hundreds protested against the Chinese official visit and what they allege is oppression by the Chinese government to Muslim Uyghurs in the far-western Xinjiang province.

Uyghurs in Turkey protest Chinese FM's visit

Hundreds gathered in both Ankara and Istanbul in protest of what they say is a genocidal campaign against the ethnic group by Beijing.

Will US sanctions bring China and Saudi Arabia closer?

Recent US sanctions on Saudi Arabia, coupled with prospects for Washington reentering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, could push Saudi Arabia to strengthen its ties with China.