Valuable Capital, Hong Kong’s second-largest online broker, launched Sahm Capital in December, allowing users to trade in both Saudi and US markets.

Envoy who visited Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE said to have encountered general agreement with Beijing’s push for restraint and direct dialogue.

Middle East veteran Chang Hua makes the move after Beijing brokered a deal between the two countries to restore diplomatic relations last year.

The Saudi stock exchange will weigh its reforms against the likes of the Hong Kong stock exchange as it bids to become a leading global capital market, Tadawul Group’s Nayef Al-Athel says.

The new financial product underscores the flurry of collaborations and accords between Hong Kong and Riyadh since the February 2023 visit by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to the kingdom.

Beijing and Paris issue statement denouncing planned Israeli offensive against southern Gaza city following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Hong Kong is expanding its market outreach in the Middle East by linking up with investment authority in oil-rich Qatar, paving the way for future cooperation and alliances.

Beijing’s ‘intensifying efforts’ in Palestinian reconciliation talks aimed at influencing reconstruction, governance of post-conflict Gaza, observers say.

Rival Palestinian parties met in Beijing for an ‘in-depth and candid dialogue on promoting internal reconciliation’, according to ministry spokesman.

Report comes after a major power shuffle in the Palestinian Authority aimed at ending the Israel-Gaza war.

Special envoy Li Hui’s latest mission to Europe was met with scepticism, and could be seen as ‘signalling’ to the Global South that China is a responsible power.

‘China’s goal is to enjoy the fact that the US is getting bruised here, but also to use the conflict in Gaza as a way to rally the Global South against the United States,‘ one says.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds calls with counterparts from Iran and Saudi Arabia, vowing Beijing will work to avoid escalation.

Energy-related trade between China and the Middle East is likely to increase significantly and reshape the sector globally in the wake of the Saudi-Iran peace deal brokered by China last year, according to Swiss bank UBS.

Yuval Waks, deputy head of the mission to Beijing, said the country had been ‘hoping for stronger condemnation’ from the Chinese foreign ministry.

Seven-day tour includes closed-door forums in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen to seek potential partners for the ambitious urban-development project.

Chinese embassy warns citizens in Iran to take precautions after Tehran fires missiles and drones in ‘spillover’ of Gaza conflict, but analysts say attack is unlikely to have substantial impact on Beijing’s ties with the two Middle Eastern countries.

The CEO of Neom – a US$500 billion futuristic, zero-carbon megacity under construction on the country’s northwest coast – is scheduled to host a half-day event on April 19 inviting investors to back the ambitious development.

Beijing says ‘the security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated’ after the attack on diplomatic buildings in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Global South’s growing willingness to organise exhibitions outside Western influence on display at Beijing shows, according to observers.

Chinese diplomat’s comments at ICJ appear to endorse armed struggle against Israel in what analyst calls an ‘unanticipated shift’ in stance, but others deny this marks a radical departure, noting Beijing still favours two-state solution.

Joint exercises in Gulf of Oman focus on rescuing hijacked merchant ships and feature Chinese and Iranian special ops teams and PLA guided-missile destroyer.

A water desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates highlights China’s ongoing move towards the Middle East amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.