China and Qatar are strengthening bilateral ties: What that really means

Beijing, China – Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has completed a two-day visit to China, with officials describing the relationship as entering a new “golden decade”.China has called Qatar an “important strategic partner” in the Middle East and the Gulf, and the two sides have agreed to expand cooperation in energy, investment and advanced technologies.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran and Ukraine wars: Why ship fuel is running short, and why it matterslist 2 of 4Oil prices surge as US-Iran strikes intensify in Strait of Hormuzlist 3 of 4IAEA warns over Iran nuclear access as Western powers push UN referrallist 4 of 4Qatar says reopening Strait of Hormuz ‘unconditionally’ is a priorityend of listBut it’s clear the continuing US-Israeli war on Iran, and ongoing Qatari efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington, were central to discussions.“It’s not acceptable at all to have this state of no war and no peace. This is not beneficial to the region, the countries of the region, and the people,” Ibrahim bin Sultan al-Hashmi, director of the Department of Media and Communications at Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, told r...