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  • Saudi Arabia joins BIS- and China-led central bank digital currency project

    Saudi Arabia has joined a China-dominated central bank digital currency cross-border trial, in what could be another step towards less of the world's oil trade being done in U.S. dollars.
    The move, announced by the Bank for International Settlements on Wednesday, will see Saudi's central bank become a "full participant" of Project mBridge, a collaboration launched in 2021 between the central banks of China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

  • China, the US, and the battle for Middle Eastern technology

    China's engagement with the Middle East is intimately intertwined with its broader global competition with the United States, which is increasingly evolving into a profound struggle for supremacy among great powers. Technological innovation has become a flashpoint in this struggle, and the rivalry has driven mutual incremental measures aimed at advancing what is commonly referred to as "technological decoupling" — a process of reducing asymmetrical dependencies and, in certain instances, disentangling the technological and cyber domains altogether.

  • China planemaker COMAC eyes Saudi Arabia for global expansion

    Chinese planemaker COMAC is eyeing Saudi Arabia as a launch pad for its international ambitions, as the state-owned company steps up efforts to sell overseas and break into a passenger jet market dominated by Western manufacturers.
    Chairman Dongfeng He visited Saudi Arabia for the first time this week, having welcomed a Saudi delegation to the company's Shanghai facilities in February, amid warming ties between the two major economies.

  • Saudi delegation heads to China without Crown Prince due to king’s illness – sources

    Two other people briefed on the visit said that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the kingdom's prime minister and de facto day-to-day ruler, had been expected to lead the delegation to China after the Japan visit. He will, however, stay in Riyadh after his elderly father, the king, underwent medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for lung inflammation, which already made the crown prince postpone the May 20-23 Japan trip.

  • Saudi Eyes F-35 Stealth Fighters In Landmark Defense Deal As US Looks To Push China Out Of Kingdom

    The White House announced on May 20 that substantial progress had happened in the discussions between the US national security adviser and the Saudis over the weekend, bringing the two countries closer to a final agreement on a bilateral defense accord. John Kirby, the White House’s spokesman for national security, stated that the two sides were “closer than we’ve ever been” on a bilateral agreement that is “near final.”

  • China-Gulf free trade talks stall on Saudi industrial agenda, sources say

    Negotiations between China and an Arab bloc for a free trade agreement have stalled over concerns by Saudi Arabia that cheap Chinese imports could undermine its ambitions to transform the kingdom into an industrial powerhouse, sources say.
    Saudi Arabia has backed renewed efforts over the past two years for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab bloc which includes the kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, among others, to finally seal a long sought deal with China.

  • China’s former ambassador to Iran takes on same role in Saudi Arabia

    China’s former ambassador to Iran, Chang Hua, has been transferred to Saudi Arabia as part of a regular diplomatic reshuffle.

    The move follows last year’s Chinese-brokered deal between the states to restore diplomatic relations.

    The embassy in Riyadh announced the appointment and Chang’s arrival on Friday. In his inaugural address he said the embassy is “committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation between [China and Saudi Arabia] actively practising ‘diplomacy for the people’, and providing dedicated services to Chinese citizens” in Saudi Arabia.

  • Saudi Arabia AI development head reveals they will divest from China if US steps up and asks them to

    Amit Midha, CEO of Alat, Saudi Arabia’s new investment fund for semiconductor and artificial intelligence technology, stated that the country would divest from China if requested by the US. Alat is an investment firm backed by $100 billion in capital from the Public Investment Fund. Midha emphasized that while current requests focus on maintaining separate manufacturing and supply chains, Saudi Arabia would comply with US concerns and divest if partnerships with China posed issues.

  • China vs. U.S.: Who’s Winning Hearts and Minds?

    The U.S. is currently beating China in the competition for leadership approval in much of the world. But, as a new Gallup report shows, this approval can depend a great deal on who is in power. Based on relative net approval scores, the U.S. enjoyed an advantage in 81 out of 133 countries that Gallup surveyed in 2023, while China had an advantage in 52. The United States' net approval advantage was largest in Kosovo at +154 points (+78 U.S. net approval and -76 Chinese net approval). China’s advantage was largest in Russia at -132 points (-82 U.S. net approval and +50 Chinese net approval). In any country, net approval of the U.S. minus net approval of China results in a relative net approval score between 200 and -200. A score of 200 means everyone approves of U.S. leadership and disapproves of Chinese leadership, while a score of -200 indicates the opposite. A score of 0 suggests parity, where the U.S. and China share the same net approval score.

  • Top US diplomat to visit Saudi Arabia this weekend following China trip

    The top US diplomat is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia this weekend, diplomatic sources told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday.

    Sources said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will travel to China this week, is expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Riyadh and may hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines.