The number of Chinese tourists traveling to Egypt has increased significantly in the last two years, shoring up the tourism sector at a time when the uncertain security situation may have deterred visitors from other countries. Undoubtedly, this will be a boon to some countries. Beyond energy trade, China’s economic influence across the Middle East has expanded through its investment. Of the total $374.4 billion invested in the region during this period, nearly one-third ($120.6 billion) went to Southeast Asia and more than one-quarter ($98.9 billion) poured into Australia. Asia, Pacific Meanwhile, over the course of a decade, China's trade volume with the Middle East increased almost tenfold, from US$25.5bn in 2004 to US$239bn in 2013. Asia, South Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before a bilateral meeting of the Second Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, April 25, 2019 in Beijing, China. Chinese investments are starting to generate job opportunities for locals. Struggling with an economic catastrophe, Lebanon is the latest country to be caught up U.S.-China tensions. View, About for Us. Also on rt.com China stealing Middle East from under America’s nose. President el-Sisi has taken the lead in overseeing the construction of Egypt’s new administrative capital which is to be located miles from downtown Cairo and will serve as the country’s seat of bureaucracy. Indonesia still wants Chinese investments, but Jokowi is also wooing Middle East money Jakarta needs to drum up foreign direct investment to boost … For example, China has partnered with Oman on a major facility in Duqm, a town on the Arabian Sea. China’s other ventures are in countries that are less wealthy and, as a result, struggle to find investors with the political will to back costly developmental endeavors.China has even shown an interest in investing in Syria. Money, Tokyo Money, Tokyo The China-Arab States Expo spotlights the growing economic relationship between China and the Middle East. How is China expanding its influence in the Middle East? Power, Crossroads A report prepared by the Military Intelligence Directorate shows that Chinese investment in the Middle East since 2012 grew by 1,700%, totaling $800 billion in civilian and military sectors. By 2020, China aims to reach a $600 billion trade aggregate with the Middle East. In new executive orders, the Trump administration has taken aim at Chinese companies ByteDance and Tencent -- but the details are yet to be fully outlined. Annual spending on projects that have a Chinese contractor totalled $13.8bn in 2014 and almost doubled to reach $24.9bn in 2018. Defense, China What’s behind the Indian Army’s reorientation of its Mathura-based 1 Corps toward China? Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. The total value of oil and gas projects awarded to Chinese contractors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, from stage of announcement to execution, stands at US$75.3bn, of which US$68.1bn relates to projects in execution, according to GlobalData, a … Asia, Central Japan's lagging vaccine roll-out draws attention to the barriers in commercializing domestic vaccine production. Mercy Kuo is Executive Vice President at Pamir Consulting. Chart 2: China-Middle East Bilateral Trade. "The Middle East's economy, unlike U.S.'high-technology and innovation-driven economy, is more akin to China's," said Wu. But in other ways, China is still a relative latecomer to the Middle East and North Africa region. image copyrightGetty Images image captionMany Chinese companies have looked to Australia's mining sector for investment opportunities. This conversation with Lisa Blaydes – professor of political science and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University – is the 205th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”. The United States potentially has the most to lose. By James Murray 21 Nov 2019. Chinese investment. Many Chinese firms have announced partnerships in Southeast Asia, Europe, and even the Middle East. China is keeping its vaccination campaign homegrown -- despite some reservations from the public. Asia, Pacific All these factors have pushed Chinese firms to expand across the region, with 22 percent of the companies' global investment flowing directly to the Middle East last year. Asia, Southeast Skip ahead a decade and Chinese money is everywhere: ports … Click here to subscribe for full access. According to the Latham & Watkins report, Chinese executives see Egypt as the third most attractive country for investment in the Middle East, right after Saudi Arabia and the UAE. December 16, 2020 China’s Digital Silk Road Grows With 5G in the Middle East By Sophie Zinser. Report, Trans-Pacific The two sides initiated a disengagement along the banks of Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh. For example, Chinese developers associated with the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development have invested in a major fiberglass fabrication facility. Chinese investment in Africa Not as easy as it looks Western worries about China’s burgeoning influence in Africa may be overblown Middle East & Africa Nov 21st 2015 edition From a Chinese perspective, soft power projection takes place through policies outside of the traditional security domain including development assistance and cultural cooperation. For less developed countries, China provides a model for growth that is accessible and distinct from the “mainstream” development initiatives being pushed by international financial institutions. At the same time, China views the GCC as a pivotal cog in its $300bn Belt and Road Initiative to enhance investment and logistic links between Africa and Asia. Asia, Asia How will the February 1, 2021, coup in Myanmar affect the country’s internal security and foreign relations? Asia, Asia Recent events further dim already bleak hopes for a free and fair presidential election in Uzbekistan later this year. Also according to the July 2019 agreement, ADNOC and CNOOC would jointly explore LNG sales and purchase opportunities, share knowledge and expertise in LNG markets, and evaluate partnerships and joint investment opportunities in the LNG value chain. What happens next? Democratic artificial intelligence principles are an essential guardrail in the age of great power competition. Chinese foreign direct investment has been substantial; the American Enterprise Institute’s China Global Investment Tracker shows over $123 billion worth of BRI-related investment into the region since 2013. Chinese-Egyptian economic cooperation has also supported Egypt’s lagging tourism sector. When citizens of Middle Eastern countries are asked in public opinion surveys if they think that China’s growing economy is a good thing for their own country, respondents in less wealthy countries – like Egypt – express a more favorable attitude toward China’s economic rise than respondents from more wealthy countries – like Turkey. The ability of governments to leverage rivalry between the U.S. and China may give Middle Eastern incumbents the opportunity to achieve a better outcome for themselves than they would in the context of a single regional hegemon. From Nepal to India, Thailand to Myanmar, people are taking to the streets – or social media – to demand change. View, About Credit: Andrea Verdelli/Pool Photo via AP, author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into the U.S. Asia policy. Explain how China is projecting soft power in the Middle East. The Southeast Asian bloc is being asked to prove its diplomatic mettle in a fast-moving and increasingly volatile crisis. Power, Crossroads