Tag: Middle East

Lavrov: Iran To Join Shanghai Alliance With China, Russia Next Week

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Iran will be formally approved as a member of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization with China, Russia and Central Asian countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. “At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved,” Lavrov said at the opening of an SCO center in Moscow. Iran has intensified its diplomacy with friends and foes alike in recent months, seeking to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and project strength. SCO membership was already on the cards and Iran…

Netanyahu Says China Has Invited Him for a State Visit

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Jerusalem —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he has received an invitation for an official visit to China, but did not disclose whether or when the trip would take place. The Israeli leader made the announcement during a meeting with visiting members of the U.S. Congress. The invitation follows several recent overtures by Beijing to increase its diplomatic footprint in the region and comes at a time of heightened friction between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox government. Netanyahu’s office said the “projected visit” to…

Palestinian Leader’s Endorsement of China’s Xinjiang Policy Sparks Backlash

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washington —  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas recently visited Beijing, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and expressed support for China’s treatment of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang. His endorsement of China’s policies and denial of the mistreatment of Muslims in Xinjiang drew criticism from politicians and rights activists. During their meeting Wednesday, in which Abbas sought economic aid, he and Xi issued a joint statement in which Abbas endorsed China’s domestic and foreign policies while dismissing the human rights concerns in Xinjiang as Western concepts. The United States…

China Inks ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Palestinian Authority as It Expands Middle East Presence

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Beijing —  China said Wednesday that it established a “strategic partnership” with the Palestinian Authority during a visit to Beijing by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The announcement marked another step in China’s campaign to gain political and economic influence in the Middle East, where it is competing with the United States. China is seeking energy resources and markets for its military and civilian exports while also promoting its version of authoritarian government as part of joint challenge with Russia to the Western-led democratic world order. Beijing has long maintained diplomatic…

Saudi Arabia Seeks Cooperation With China, ‘Ignores’ Western Worries

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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia —  Saudi Arabia wants to collaborate, not compete, with China, the kingdom’s energy minister declared on Sunday, saying he “ignored” Western suspicions over their growing ties. As the world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia’s bilateral relationship with the world’s biggest energy consumer is anchored by hydrocarbon ties. But cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing has also deepened in security and sensitive tech amid a warming of political ties — to the concern of the United States. Asked about criticism of the bilateral relationship during an Arab-China business conference,…

US State Department Unveils 2022 Annual Human Rights Report

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State Department —  Russia’s armed forces have committed “numerous war crimes and other atrocities” since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, said a U.S. Department of State report that documents human rights practices around the world. “There were credible reports of summary execution, torture, rape, indiscriminate attacks, and attacks deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure by Russia’s forces in Ukraine, all of which constitute war crimes,” the State Department said in its 2022 annual human rights report, released Monday. The annual report also underscored cases…

Russia Begins Naval Drills With China, Iran

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moscow —  Russia said Wednesday it had started naval exercises with China and Iran in the Arabian Sea as it seeks to shore up ties with Beijing and Tehran. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the trilateral exercises, dubbed the Marine Security Belt 2023, had begun in the vicinity of the Iranian port of Chabahar. The naval part of the drills will take place on Thursday and Friday. Russia will be represented by the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and a medium-sized tanker, the ministry said. During the naval…

China’s Role in Iran-Saudi Deal Shows Xi’s Challenge to U.S.-led Order

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When Beijing stepped into the role of mediator this week in the surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, it signaled a new level of ambition for Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, who has sought to burnish his image as a global statesman in an escalating rivalry with the United States. China’s top diplomat quickly attributed the success of four days of secret talks in reviving diplomatic ties between the two archrivals to Mr. Xi’s leadership, which he said demonstrated “the bearing of a great power.” By taking credit for…

Iran-Saudi Pact Is Brokered by China, Leaving U.S. on Sidelines

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Saudi Arabia had sought a suspension of hostilities with Iran for years, first through talks held in Baghdad that eventually went nowhere. Biden administration officials said the Saudis briefed them about the discussions in Beijing, but the Americans expressed skepticism that Iran will live up to its new commitments. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia who had strong ties with former President Donald J. Trump and has helped secure $2 billion in financing for the investment firm set up by Jared Kushner, the former…

White House Welcomes Chinese-Brokered Saudi-Iran Deal

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white house —  Despite its rocky relations with China, the White House says it welcomes Beijing’s efforts to help end the war in Yemen and de-escalate tensions in the region following the announcement of a Chinese-brokered deal that allows Iran and Saudi Arabia to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of hostility. “If this deal can be sustained — regardless of what the interest was or who sat down at the table — if it can be sustained, and the war in Yemen can end, and Saudi Arabia doesn’t have…