UAE and Qatar leaders’ China-Europe diplomacy centers on Iran

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is due to arrive on a state visit to Germany tomorrow. Beijing and Berlin feature on the itineraries of Gulf leaders this week, with diplomacy and economic resilience in focus as the Iran war grinds on. Germany is among Abu Dhabi’s largest European trading partners, and the country’s non-oil exports reached an all-time high of 453 billion dirhams ($123 billion) in the first six months of the year, the UAE foreign trade minister said at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The minister also said German industry has long been in Abu Dhabi’s crosshairs, citing ADNOC’s XRG buying a majority stake in chemicals group Covestro.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is concluding a visit to China, Qatar’s largest trading partner. The trip comes as tensions rose in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for Qatar’s liquefied natural gas exports that supplies nearly one-third of China’s demand. The Chinese premier voiced support for Qatar’s mediating role with Iran. Beijing said it would work with Gulf states to restore peace.