China, Saudi Arabia Upgrade Ties With Strategic Partnership Deal |
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed an agreement (Al Jazeera) to upgrade their countries’ relationship and pledged to cooperate in the global oil market. Another deal will allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to provide cloud computing (Bloomberg) and other services in Saudi Arabia. The deals come as both countries navigate strains in their relationships with the United States. The leaders also announced that they will now hold summits every two years.
China’s foreign ministry described Xi’s three-day visit to Saudi Arabia as the “largest-scale diplomatic activity between China and the Arab world” in modern Chinese history. To wrap up the visit, Xi is attending a summit (Reuters) with Arab leaders today. |
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“It’s clear that the Chinese are trying to expand their reach [in the Middle East] beyond trade into politics and into security,” Princeton University’s Bernard Haykel tells Al-Monitor.
“Missing from the leaders’ public statements was any mention of the more controversial aspects of a relationship that have raised the hackles of U.S. officials—such as advanced military sales, expansion of 5G and 6G telecommunications networks and pricing some Saudi oil sales in yuan, which accelerated this year,” the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Kalin writes.
For Foreign Affairs, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Michael Singh discusses what China-Saudi Arabia relations say about the Middle East in a multipolar era.
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Italy, Japan, United Kingdom Plan to Jointly Develop Fighter Jet |
The initiative aims to develop (Nikkei) a next-generation aircraft by 2035. It is the first time since World War II that Japan is developing a major defense platform with countries other than the United States. China: Some hospitals in Beijing have begun rationing fever reducers (FT), and pharmacies in the city are running out of the drugs amid a COVID-19 wave.
For Foreign Affairs, Yuen Yuen Ang discusses how the Chinese government’s extended COVID-19 lockdowns created a crisis.
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Bloomberg: Modi Won’t Hold Annual Putin Summit |
A senior Indian official told Bloomberg that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not hold the in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, usually held in December, due to Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
Bangladesh: A Bangladeshi police unit that the United States sanctioned in 2021 for alleged human rights abuses received training in the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom (UK) this year, Al Jazeera reported.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Qatar Falls Short of World Cup Visitor Expectations |
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Conflict Flares in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region |
Government forces, Oromo Liberation Army fighters, and militants from the northern Amhara region have each launched attacks (Bloomberg) in the central Oromia region, according to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. The organization said hundreds of people have died and over one hundred thousand have been displaced. DRC: A UN investigation found that the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group killed at least 131 civilians (AFP) in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on November 29 and 30. |
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U.S. Basketball Star Arrives in Texas After Being Freed From Russia |
Brittney Griner, who had been detained in Russia since February, was freed in exchange (NYT) for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. U.S. President Joe Biden said negotiators were unable to secure the release (CNN) of detained former U.S. marine Paul Whelan because “Russia is treating Paul’s case differently.”
UK: As inflation reaches a forty-one-year high, workers have planned strikes (Quartz) almost every day this month in what is expected to be the biggest wave of strikes the country has seen in years.
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Chile, EU Reach Trade Deal |
The agreement will give European Union (EU) countries better access (FT) to Chilean minerals that will be vital in the bloc’s transition to green energy. In return, Chile will receive more favorable access to exports such as food.
Peru: President Dina Boluarte refused calls for new elections (CNN) after she was sworn in following the impeachment of former President Pedro Castillo Terrones.
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Congress Passes Bill Codifying Same-Sex Marriage Rights |
The House of Representatives yesterday followed the Senate in passing the bill (NYT), which President Biden is expected to sign into law. The law would recognize same-sex marriages at the federal level even if the Supreme Court ruled to let states deny the validity of such marriages. |
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ProPublica explains how U.S.-Mexico cooperation in the fight against drug cartels nearly collapsed after U.S. authorities arrested a Mexican general in 2020. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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