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"We should be committed to mutual respect and win-win co-operation to advance China-Qatar relations to new heights as China and Qatar are both peace-loving countries," stressed the Chinese Charge d’Affaires Wang Ying on Thursday at the Chinese Embassy Doha.She pointed out that "under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the China-Qatar strategic partnership has gone through an 11-year golden period of development. Currently, the China-Qatar relationship is at its highest level in history and has become a model of friendly co-operation between countries."She noted that "China and Qatar have supported each other on issues which bear on our respective core interests and major concerns, and in pursuing development paths which suit our national conditions."Further, "the bilateral trade volume increased from $10.6bn in 2014 to $24.22bn in 2024, marking a growth of over 128%. Since 2020, China has remained Qatar’s largest trading partner and top export destination for five consecutive years. China-Qatar co-operation features a strong complementarity and delivers tangible benefits to the people of both countries," she said.In the meantime, she noted that "both China and Qatar are advocating for justice on the Gaza conflict, as we are jointly working to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. Since the Gaza conflict erupted, Qatar has been actively participating in mediation, and successfully helped achieve ceasefire agreements and release of hostages twice. The international community highly appreciates Qatar's tireless efforts in striving for peace and alleviating humanitarian crisis."She further pointed out that China has upheld an objective and fair position, and been committed to safeguarding peace and lives. China pushed for the adoption of the first resolution of ceasefire in Gaza by the United Nations Security Council, facilitated the reconciliation dialogue and the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the 14 Palestinian factions, and deliveredmultiple batches of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.The Chinese Chargé d’Affaires in Doha stressed that "The humanitarian crisis in Gaza must not continue, and the Palestinian question must not be marginalized once again. The legitimate aspirations of the Arab nation should be fulfilled as soon as possible, and the just voice of the vast Islamic world must be heeded. The “two-state solution” remains the only viable way out of the turmoil for the Middle East, and the international community should take more concrete and effective actions to this end. "She expressed her country's stand saying that "China stands ready to work with Qatar to strengthen the synergy of both countries’ development strategies, jointly promote the community with a shared future for humanity, uphold international fairness and justice, advance on the journey toward national prosperity and rejuvenation, and bring more benefit to the two peoples."

The Gulf countries and the entire Middle East region are going through extraordinary times since the outbreak of open war between Iran and Israel in last June, noted several experts at a panel discussion.Organised by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs earlier this week, the discussion ‘ Rethinking Gulf Security Following the Iran- Israel War' brought four experts on the topic who delved deep into current developments and their implications. They felt that the outbreak of an open war between Iran and Israel in June has considerably intensified challenges to Gulf security.Sanam Vakil, director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House said that the countries in the region are going through a period very much defined by geopolitical competition. She noted that there are a lot of questions about consistency in these countries' relationship with the United States and the reliability of US as a security partner.“Conflicts have doubled across the world, and we are, of course, seeing that in the region, but we don't have to look too far from the Middle East itself to see the devastating impact of a conflict. And multilateralism and the investment of the international community is not just stabilising conflicts. Settling conflicts is also proving to be ineffective. We see this very visibly in Gaza,” said Vakil.The panelists also noted that the region is confronting complicated questions including charting the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and Israel’s increasing incursions on Gaza, the West Bank, and the wider region.Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy, International Institute for Strategic Studies noted that Israel represents and presents an objective threat to the security of the Arab countries.“There are multiple reasons why that is the case. Most certainly, Israel started a war that I would be fairly confident in saying that probably most or at least perhaps all of the Gulf States did not want to be at war. I think Israel actually presents more of a direct threat because of the fact that it seems to have embraced the view of the region as an open battleground. This has direct security destabilising spillover effects for the Arab and the Gulf States,” explained Alhasan.The panel also noted that diplomatic efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran have been significantly undermined by the “12-day war.”According to Yasmine Farouk, director, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Project, International Crisis Group, the picture is much more complex and difficult to manage. “It is very clear that there is a gap in how the US sees the conflicts and this conflict in this region and how the Gulf countries see them. The Gulf countries see the conflicts of the region as interconnected,” she pointed out.Shahram Akbarzadeh, nonresident senior fellow, Middle East Council said that there is a deep distrust, especially among the leadership of the international system, and how the United States manages to utilise the system to its full advantage. The session was moderated by Adel Abdel Ghafar, senior fellow, Foreign Policy Programme director, Middle East Council.

Market EyeQatar remains among the top three LNG exporters globally in the latest data released by Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).Last month, global LNG exports surged by 12% y-o-y (3.83mn tonnes) to reach 36.55mn tonnes, a "record high" for the month and the "strongest" annual growth rate since July 2019.The increase was driven by higher exports from both GECF Member Countries and non-GECF countries, which more than offset a decline in LNG re-exports.Between January and July 2025, global LNG exports rose by 5.0% y-o-y (11.93mn tonnes) to reach 249.66mn tonnes, largely supported by gains from non-GECF exporters, and to a lesser extent by GECF Member Countries and LNG re-exports.Non-GECF countries remained the largest exporters in July, with their market share rising to 55.2%, up from 53.1% a year earlier.In contrast, the shares of GECF Member Countries and LNG re-exports declined from 45.5% and 1.4% to 44.3% and 0.5%, respectively.In July, LNG exports from GECF member and observer countries rose by 8.7% y-o-y (1.30mn tonnes) to reach 16.20mn tonnes. At the country level, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Senegal, and Trinidad and Tobago contributed to the increase, offsetting a decline in exports from the United Arab Emirates.From January to July, GECF LNG exports grew by 1.8% year-on-year (1.99mn tonnes) to 113.59mn tonnes. The additional volumes were mainly driven by Angola, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Senegal and Trinidad and Tobago.In Algeria and Malaysia, reduced maintenance activities at the Arzew and Bintulu LNG facilities, respectively, supported the rise in exports.Additionally, higher feedgas availability boosted LNG exports from Equatorial Guinea, Malaysia, Nigeria, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago. The ramp-up of production from the GTA FLNG 1 facility in Mauritania/Senegal continued to support growing export volumes from both countries.Qatar’s LNG export growth was supported by production exceeding the nameplate capacity at the Ras Laffan liquefaction complex, GECF data show.Conversely, the decline in LNG exports from the United Arab Emirates was attributed to planned maintenance at the Das Island LNG facility.In July, non-GECF countries’ LNG exports surged by 16% y-o-y (2.82mn tonnes) to reach 20.18mn tonnes, which is the second highest monthly LNG exports after March 2025.The stronger LNG exports was driven by Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the US, which together offset weaker LNG exports from Norway.Between January and July 2025, non-GECF LNG exports grew by 7.9% (9.80mn tonnes) y-o-y to 134.03mn tonnes, supported by stronger LNG exports from Canada, Mexico and the US.Stronger LNG output from Gorgon and Ichthys—due to reduced maintenance—boosted Australia’s LNG exports, offsetting lower flows from North West Shelf caused by limited feedgas.In Canada and Mexico, rising exports were driven by ramp-ups at LNG Canada and Altamira FLNG 1, respectively.The US saw the largest non-GECF increase, led by surging volumes from Corpus Christi, Freeport, and Plaquemines. Corpus Christi and Plaquemines benefited from new train ramp-ups, while Freeport’s gains stemmed from reduced maintenance and debottlenecking that expanded production capacity.