The Economist.
In spring 2024, ahead of a gathering between Chinese ministers and their counterparts from the Gulf states,
China's president
made this address on state television.
It's always heartwarming to meet Arab friends, he says.
He praises their nations' win-win cooperation and development.
He calls for more dialogue and less confrontation in an uncertain world.
This was all part of the balancing act that China's tried to pull off
in the Middle East in recent years, maintaining good relations with Arab states, Iran and Israel
while expanding economic ties across the region and supporting a growing number
of Chinese businesses and expatriates there.
But in recent weeks, that balancing act has been tested like never before.
A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran.
Video shows interceptions in the skies over northern Israel as air raid sirens sounded following a projectile.
A fresh drone strike near Dubai International Airport, marking the latest escalation in the widening war.
I'm Jeremy Page, the Economist's China correspondent, based in Taipei.
And today I'm joined from London by our global correspondent Corbin Duncan to ask,
what does the war in Iran mean for China's priorities in the Middle East?
And how is it impacting China's growing expat population in the region?
This is Drum Tower, from The Economist.